The science of pupil self-regulation
Our cutting-edge eye-tracking technology and neurofeedback for mental training has been developed by our accomplished neuroscientists and validated by our established research partners.
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From the blue spot to the eye.
Scroll to follow the signal through the brain — the pathway MindMetrix captured and made trainable.
Locus coeruleus
A tiny cluster of cells deep in the brainstem — Latin for 'blue spot'. It controls how alert or calm you feel. While it has long been hard to access in humans, MindMetrix found a way to study it.
Poe et al., 2020 · Nat Rev NeurosciNoradrenaline release
When the blue spot is active, it releases noradrenaline, a chemical messenger. A steady flow sets your baseline alertness; short bursts help you react to what matters in the moment.
Adaptive gain theory · Murphy et al., 2011Whole-brain modulation
Noradrenaline reaches almost every part of the brain's outer layer, the cortex. We showed that training with the pupil measurably changes how active and responsive the brain is.
Weijs et al., 2025 · Nature CommunicationsHyper- and hypo-arousal
Too much: racing thoughts, nerves, shaky hands. Too little: sluggish and switched off. You perform best in between.
Yerkes & Dodson, 1908 · Murphy et al., 2011The pupil window
Your pupils widen when you're alert and narrow when you're calm. Under constant lighting, the eye becomes a non-invasive measure of brain activity that is otherwise only visible in an MRI scanner.
Murphy et al., 2011 · PsychophysiologyClosing the loop
MindMetrix’s founding discovery: with real-time pupil feedback, people learn to up- and down-regulate their own arousal. fMRI showed this systematically shifts LC and other brainstem activity, with knock-on effects on heart rate and performance.
Meissner et al., 2023 · Nature Human BehaviourDiscover what this means in practice
