Look Up: Boost Your Concentration and Balance

Experience It

Gently lift your eyes. Follow an imaginary point rising, while staying grounded in your body. Stay there for a few seconds.

This gesture may seem trivial. However, it engages much more than your eye muscles.

Eye movements, particularly vertical saccades and pursuits, activate:

The frontal and parietal cortex, involved in planning and spatial awareness;
The cerebellum, which coordinates the finesse and precision of movement;
The vestibular system, essential for balance;
And, indirectly, the monoaminergic circuits (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin), involved in motivation and wakefulness.

🧪 Several studies have shown that these circuits activate together in tasks of visual attention, sensory adaptation, or neurological compensation.

Plasticity in Cases of Vestibular LesionCurthoys & Halmagyi (1995) observed that vertical eye movements actively adapt after lesions of the vestibular system, revealing the brain's ability to reorganize.
Parkinson's and Oculomotor FunctionVertical saccades are slowed or altered in Parkinson's disease. They serve as a non-invasive assessment tool for motor and attentional functions.
Fatigue and Visuo-Motor FunctionsResearch (Connell et al., 2016) shows that physical fatigue slows saccades, but has no major impact on visuo-spatial attention — indicating functional compensation by the nervous system.
Virtual Reality and RehabilitationImmersive virtual reality stimulation improves the accuracy of vertical saccades, with promising applications in neuro-rehabilitation.
Monoamines and Cognitive RegulationThe circuits controlling eye movements are close to those modulating mood. It is therefore plausible, according to several hypotheses, that they reflect certain cognitive or emotional states.
Body-Mind Practices (Yoga, Tai Chi, Mindfulness)Studies suggest that these disciplines improve proprioception and emotional regulation.