biostudies-literatureChota SEuropean Research Council15889https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC6203856biostudies-literatureUnknown8(1)Recent research indicates that attentional stimulus selection could be a rhythmic process. In monkey, neurons in V4 and IT exhibit rhythmic spiking activity in the theta range in response to a stimulus. When two stimuli are presented together, the rhythmic neuronal responses to each occur in anti-phase, a result indicative of competitive interactions. In addition, it was recently demonstrated that these alternating oscillations in monkey V4 modulate the speed of saccadic responses to a target flashed on one of the two competing stimuli. Here, we replicate a similar behavioral task in humans (7 participants, each performed 4000 trials) and report a pattern of results consistent with the monkey findings: saccadic response times fluctuate in the theta range (6 Hz), with opposite phase for tarScientific reportsRhythmic fluctuations of saccadic reaction time arising from visual competition.PMC6203856614244937938Chota SSchmid MCVanRullen RCrouzet SMBoyer LKienitz RLuo CfalseRhythmic fluctuations of saccadic reaction time arising from visual competition.Recent research indicates that attentional stimulus selection could be a rhythmic process. In monkey, neurons in V4 and IT exhibit rhythmic spiking activity in the theta range in response to a stimulus. When two stimuli are presented together, the rhythmic neuronal responses to each occur in anti-phase, a result indicative of competitive interactions. In addition, it was recently demonstrated that these alternating oscillations in monkey V4 modulate the speed of saccadic responses to a target flashed on one of the two competing stimuli. Here, we replicate a similar behavioral task in humans (7 participants, each performed 4000 trials) and report a pattern of results consistent with the monkey findings: saccadic response times fluctuate in the theta range (6 Hz), with opposite phase for tar2018-01-01T00:00:00Z2018 Oct2025-04-22T16:06:12.264Z2019-03-27T00:05:32ZS-EPMC62038563036711310.1038/s41598-018-34252-7