2. Academic Validation
  3. Saccades orchestrate intraocular glucose dynamics to shape visual responses in birds

Saccades orchestrate intraocular glucose dynamics to shape visual responses in birds

  • Nat Commun. 2026 Mar 13;17(1):4173. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70672-0.
Xi Xu # 1 2,  Tong Xiao # 1 2,  Yibing Chen # 1 3,  Lijuan Song 1 2,  Chen Wu 1,  Qian Wang 1,  Tao Zhang 2 4,  Yan Yang 5 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 3 Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 4 State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • 5 State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. [email protected].
  • 6 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 41826320 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-70672-0
Abstract

Birds exhibit remarkable vision despite lacking the classical retinal vasculature, raising an enigmatic question about how avascular retinas fulfill energy demands necessary for sight. Avian saccades couple rapid gaze shifts with cyclotorsional oscillations. In pigeons, we show that these saccades orchestrate intraocular metabolic dynamics and visual processing. Using combined measurements of eye movements, intraocular glucose, and neuronal activity in retinorecipient brain regions, we found that saccades induce intraocular glucose fluctuations that are closely linked to changes in visual responses over seconds to minutes. Pharmacologically manipulating glucose availability or eliminating saccadic oscillations produced corresponding changes in neuronal responses, demonstrating causality. Thus, stimulus-driven saccades not only serve visual exploration but also propel retinal metabolism, facilitating neuronal visual responses in the absence of retinal vasculature. These findings underscore an intrinsic interplay among eye movements, metabolic regulation, and visual function, offering insight into how oculomotor behavior supports retinal health and visual performance across species.

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