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Delle Monache S, Paolocci G, Scalici F, Conti A, Lacquaniti F, Indovina I, Bosco G. Interception of vertically approaching objects: temporal recruitment of the internal model of gravity and contribution of optical information. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1266332. [PMID: 38046950 PMCID: PMC10690631 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1266332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Recent views posit that precise control of the interceptive timing can be achieved by combining on-line processing of visual information with predictions based on prior experience. Indeed, for interception of free-falling objects under gravity's effects, experimental evidence shows that time-to-contact predictions can be derived from an internal gravity representation in the vestibular cortex. However, whether the internal gravity model is fully engaged at the target motion outset or reinforced by visual motion processing at later stages of motion is not yet clear. Moreover, there is no conclusive evidence about the relative contribution of internalized gravity and optical information in determining the time-to-contact estimates. Methods: We sought to gain insight on this issue by asking 32 participants to intercept free falling objects approaching directly from above in virtual reality. Object motion had durations comprised between 800 and 1100 ms and it could be either congruent with gravity (1 g accelerated motion) or not (constant velocity or -1 g decelerated motion). We analyzed accuracy and precision of the interceptive responses, and fitted them to Bayesian regression models, which included predictors related to the recruitment of a priori gravity information at different times during the target motion, as well as based on available optical information. Results: Consistent with the use of internalized gravity information, interception accuracy and precision were significantly higher with 1 g motion. Moreover, Bayesian regression indicated that interceptive responses were predicted very closely by assuming engagement of the gravity prior 450 ms after the motion onset, and that adding a predictor related to on-line processing of optical information improved only slightly the model predictive power. Discussion: Thus, engagement of a priori gravity information depended critically on the processing of the first 450 ms of visual motion information, exerting a predominant influence on the interceptive timing, compared to continuously available optical information. Finally, these results may support a parallel processing scheme for the control of interceptive timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Delle Monache
- Laboratory of Visuomotor Control and Gravitational Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre for Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Paolocci
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre for Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Scalici
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre for Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Allegra Conti
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre for Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Iole Indovina
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Bosco
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre for Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
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Loued-Khenissi L, Pfeiffer C, Saxena R, Adarsh S, Scaramuzza D. Microgravity induces overconfidence in perceptual decision-making. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9727. [PMID: 37322248 PMCID: PMC10272216 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36775-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Does gravity affect decision-making? This question comes into sharp focus as plans for interplanetary human space missions solidify. In the framework of Bayesian brain theories, gravity encapsulates a strong prior, anchoring agents to a reference frame via the vestibular system, informing their decisions and possibly their integration of uncertainty. What happens when such a strong prior is altered? We address this question using a self-motion estimation task in a space analog environment under conditions of altered gravity. Two participants were cast as remote drone operators orbiting Mars in a virtual reality environment on board a parabolic flight, where both hyper- and microgravity conditions were induced. From a first-person perspective, participants viewed a drone exiting a cave and had to first predict a collision and then provide a confidence estimate of their response. We evoked uncertainty in the task by manipulating the motion's trajectory angle. Post-decision subjective confidence reports were negatively predicted by stimulus uncertainty, as expected. Uncertainty alone did not impact overt behavioral responses (performance, choice) differentially across gravity conditions. However microgravity predicted higher subjective confidence, especially in interaction with stimulus uncertainty. These results suggest that variables relating to uncertainty affect decision-making distinctly in microgravity, highlighting the possible need for automatized, compensatory mechanisms when considering human factors in space research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Neuroscience Department, Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Neuro-X Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Christian Pfeiffer
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rupal Saxena
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shivam Adarsh
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Davide Scaramuzza
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Delle Monache S, Indovina I, Zago M, Daprati E, Lacquaniti F, Bosco G. Watching the Effects of Gravity. Vestibular Cortex and the Neural Representation of "Visual" Gravity. Front Integr Neurosci 2021; 15:793634. [PMID: 34924968 PMCID: PMC8671301 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2021.793634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gravity is a physical constraint all terrestrial species have adapted to through evolution. Indeed, gravity effects are taken into account in many forms of interaction with the environment, from the seemingly simple task of maintaining balance to the complex motor skills performed by athletes and dancers. Graviceptors, primarily located in the vestibular otolith organs, feed the Central Nervous System with information related to the gravity acceleration vector. This information is integrated with signals from semicircular canals, vision, and proprioception in an ensemble of interconnected brain areas, including the vestibular nuclei, cerebellum, thalamus, insula, retroinsula, parietal operculum, and temporo-parietal junction, in the so-called vestibular network. Classical views consider this stage of multisensory integration as instrumental to sort out conflicting and/or ambiguous information from the incoming sensory signals. However, there is compelling evidence that it also contributes to an internal representation of gravity effects based on prior experience with the environment. This a priori knowledge could be engaged by various types of information, including sensory signals like the visual ones, which lack a direct correspondence with physical gravity. Indeed, the retinal accelerations elicited by gravitational motion in a visual scene are not invariant, but scale with viewing distance. Moreover, the "visual" gravity vector may not be aligned with physical gravity, as when we watch a scene on a tilted monitor or in weightlessness. This review will discuss experimental evidence from behavioral, neuroimaging (connectomics, fMRI, TMS), and patients' studies, supporting the idea that the internal model estimating the effects of gravity on visual objects is constructed by transforming the vestibular estimates of physical gravity, which are computed in the brainstem and cerebellum, into internalized estimates of virtual gravity, stored in the vestibular cortex. The integration of the internal model of gravity with visual and non-visual signals would take place at multiple levels in the cortex and might involve recurrent connections between early visual areas engaged in the analysis of spatio-temporal features of the visual stimuli and higher visual areas in temporo-parietal-insular regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Delle Monache
- UniCamillus—Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Iole Indovina
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Myrka Zago
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Center for Space Biomedicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
- Department of Civil and Computer Engineering, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Daprati
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Center for Space Biomedicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Center for Space Biomedicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Bosco
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Center for Space Biomedicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
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Indovina I, Passamonti L, Mucci V, Chiarella G, Lacquaniti F, Staab JP. Brain Correlates of Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness: A Review of Neuroimaging Studies. J Clin Med 2021; 10:4274. [PMID: 34575385 PMCID: PMC8468644 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10184274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD), defined in 2017, is a vestibular disorder characterized by chronic dizziness that is exacerbated by upright posture and exposure to complex visual stimuli. This review focused on recent neuroimaging studies that explored the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PPPD and three conditions that predated it. The emerging picture is that local activity and functional connectivity in multimodal vestibular cortical areas are decreased in PPPD, which is potentially related to structural abnormalities (e.g., reductions in cortical folding and grey-matter volume). Additionally, connectivity between the prefrontal cortex, which regulates attentional and emotional responses, and primary visual and motor regions appears to be increased in PPPD. These results complement physiological and psychological data identifying hypervigilant postural control and visual dependence in patients with PPPD, supporting the hypothesis that PPPD arises from shifts in interactions among visuo-vestibular, sensorimotor, and emotional networks that overweigh visual over vestibular inputs and increase the effects of anxiety-related mechanisms on locomotor control and spatial orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iole Indovina
- Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (F.L.)
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK;
- Institute of Bioimaging & Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, 20054 Milano, Italy
| | - Viviana Mucci
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (F.L.)
- School of Science, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
| | - Giuseppe Chiarella
- Unit of Audiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (F.L.)
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Jeffrey P. Staab
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Loued-Khenissi L, Preuschoff K. A Bird's eye view from below: Activity in the temporo-parietal junction predicts from-above Necker Cube percepts. Neuropsychologia 2020; 149:107654. [PMID: 33069790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) consistently emerges in other-regarding behavior, including tasks probing affective phenomena such as morality and empathy. Yet the TPJ is also recruited in processes with no affective or social component, such as visuo-spatial processing and mathematical cognition. We present serendipitous findings from a perceptual decision-making task on a bistable stimulus, the Necker Cube, performed in an MRI scanner. The stimulus in question is a transparent, wire-frame cube that evokes spontaneous switches in perception. Individuals can view the cube from below or from above, though a consistent bias is shown towards seeing the cube from above. We replicate this bias, finding participants spend more time in the from-above percept. However, in testing for BOLD differences between percept orientations, we found robust responses in bilateral TPJ for the from-above > from-below perceptual state. We speculate that this neural response comes from the sensory incongruence of viewing an object from above while lying supine in the scanner. We further speculate that the TPJ resolves this incongruence by facilitating an egocentric projection. Such a function would explain the TPJ's ubiquitous response to other-regarding, visuo-spatial and mathematical cognition, as all these phenomena demand an ability to ambulate through the coordinate space. Our findings suggest the TPJ may not play a specific role in social or moral components of other-regarding behavior, such as altruism, and further indirectly suggest that "pure", allocentric altruism may not correlate with the TPJ. Results further have implications on how the TPJ may be modulated by activities such as flight or drone operation. Finally, this study highlights the possible need for congruence between stimuli and body position in neuroimaging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Kerstin Preuschoff
- Geneva Finance Research Institute, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Passamonti L, Riccelli R, Lacquaniti F, Staab JP, Indovina I. Brain responses to virtual reality visual motion stimulation are affected by neurotic personality traits in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness. J Vestib Res 2018; 28:369-378. [PMID: 30856138 DOI: 10.3233/ves-190653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common vestibular disorder of persistent dizziness and unsteadiness, exacerbated by upright posture, self-motion, and exposure to complex or moving visual stimuli. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies found dysfunctional activity in the visual-vestibular cortices in patients with PPPD. Clinical studies showed that the anxiety-related personality traits of neuroticism and introversion may predispose individuals to PPPD. However, the effects of these traits on brain function in patients with PPPD versus healthy controls (HCs) have not been studied. METHODS To investigate potential differential effects of neuroticism and introversion on functioning of their visuo-vestibular networks, 15 patients with PPPD and 15 HCs matched for demographics and motion sickness susceptibility underwent fMRI during virtual reality simulation of a rollercoaster ride in vertical and horizontal directions. RESULTS Neuroticism positively correlated with activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFg), and enhanced connectivity between the IFg and occipital regions in patients with PPPD relative to HCs during vertical versus horizontal motion comparison. CONCLUSIONS In patients with PPPD, neuroticism increased the activity and connectivity of neural networks that mediate attention to visual motion cues during vertical motion. This mechanism may mediate visual control of balance in neurotic patients with PPPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Riccelli
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Jeffrey P Staab
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology and Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Iole Indovina
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
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Riccelli R, Passamonti L, Toschi N, Nigro S, Chiarella G, Petrolo C, Lacquaniti F, Staab JP, Indovina I. Altered Insular and Occipital Responses to Simulated Vertical Self-Motion in Patients with Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness. Front Neurol 2017; 8:529. [PMID: 29089920 PMCID: PMC5650964 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common functional vestibular disorder characterized by persistent symptoms of non-vertiginous dizziness and unsteadiness that are exacerbated by upright posture, self-motion, and exposure to complex or moving visual stimuli. Recent physiologic and neuroimaging data suggest that greater reliance on visual cues for postural control (as opposed to vestibular cues-a phenomenon termed visual dependence) and dysfunction in central visuo-vestibular networks may be important pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying PPPD. Dysfunctions are thought to involve insular regions that encode recognition of the visual effects of motion in the gravitational field. METHODS We tested for altered activity in vestibular and visual cortices during self-motion simulation obtained via a visual virtual-reality rollercoaster stimulation using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 15 patients with PPPD and 15 healthy controls (HCs). We compared between groups differences in brain responses to simulated displacements in vertical vs horizontal directions and correlated the difference in directional responses with dizziness handicap in patients with PPPD. RESULTS HCs showed increased activity in the anterior bank of the central insular sulcus during vertical relative to horizontal motion, which was not seen in patients with PPPD. However, for the same comparison, dizziness handicap correlated positively with activity in the visual cortex (V1, V2, and V3) in patients with PPPD. CONCLUSION We provide novel insight into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying PPPD, including functional alterations in brain processes that affect balance control and reweighting of space-motion inputs to favor visual cues. For patients with PPPD, difficulties using visual data to discern the effects of gravity on self-motion may adversely affect balance control, particularly for individuals who simultaneously rely too heavily on visual stimuli. In addition, increased activity in the visual cortex, which correlated with severity of dizziness handicap, may be a neural correlate of visual dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Riccelli
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Salvatore Nigro
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Chiarella
- Unit of Audiology, Department of experimental and clinical medicine, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Claudio Petrolo
- Unit of Audiology, Department of experimental and clinical medicine, Magna Græcia University, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Jeffrey P. Staab
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Iole Indovina
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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Balestrucci P, Daprati E, Lacquaniti F, Maffei V. Effects of visual motion consistent or inconsistent with gravity on postural sway. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:1999-2010. [PMID: 28326440 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-4942-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Vision plays an important role in postural control, and visual perception of the gravity-defined vertical helps maintaining upright stance. In addition, the influence of the gravity field on objects' motion is known to provide a reference for motor and non-motor behavior. However, the role of dynamic visual cues related to gravity in the control of postural balance has been little investigated. In order to understand whether visual cues about gravitational acceleration are relevant for postural control, we assessed the relation between postural sway and visual motion congruent or incongruent with gravity acceleration. Postural sway of 44 healthy volunteers was recorded by means of force platforms while they watched virtual targets moving in different directions and with different accelerations. Small but significant differences emerged in sway parameters with respect to the characteristics of target motion. Namely, for vertically accelerated targets, gravitational motion (GM) was associated with smaller oscillations of the center of pressure than anti-GM. The present findings support the hypothesis that not only static, but also dynamic visual cues about direction and magnitude of the gravitational field are relevant for balance control during upright stance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Balestrucci
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome, Italy. .,Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.
| | - Elena Daprati
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome, Italy.,Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Maffei
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome, Italy
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Indovina I, Maffei V, Mazzarella E, Sulpizio V, Galati G, Lacquaniti F. Path integration in 3D from visual motion cues: A human fMRI study. Neuroimage 2016; 142:512-521. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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Riccelli R, Indovina I, Staab JP, Nigro S, Augimeri A, Lacquaniti F, Passamonti L. Neuroticism modulates brain visuo-vestibular and anxiety systems during a virtual rollercoaster task. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 38:715-726. [PMID: 27677756 PMCID: PMC6866907 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Different lines of research suggest that anxiety‐related personality traits may influence the visual and vestibular control of balance, although the brain mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. To our knowledge, this is the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study that investigates how individual differences in neuroticism and introversion, two key personality traits linked to anxiety, modulate brain regional responses and functional connectivity patterns during a fMRI task simulating self‐motion. Twenty‐four healthy individuals with variable levels of neuroticism and introversion underwent fMRI while performing a virtual reality rollercoaster task that included two main types of trials: (1) trials simulating downward or upward self‐motion (vertical motion), and (2) trials simulating self‐motion in horizontal planes (horizontal motion). Regional brain activity and functional connectivity patterns when comparing vertical versus horizontal motion trials were correlated with personality traits of the Five Factor Model (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion‐introversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness). When comparing vertical to horizontal motion trials, we found a positive correlation between neuroticism scores and regional activity in the left parieto‐insular vestibular cortex (PIVC). For the same contrast, increased functional connectivity between the left PIVC and right amygdala was also detected as a function of higher neuroticism scores. Together, these findings provide new evidence that individual differences in personality traits linked to anxiety are significantly associated with changes in the activity and functional connectivity patterns within visuo‐vestibular and anxiety‐related systems during simulated vertical self‐motion. Hum Brain Mapp 38:715–726, 2017. © 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Riccelli
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences; University “Magna Graecia,”; Catanzaro Italy
| | - Iole Indovina
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation; Rome 00179 Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata; Rome 00173 Italy
| | - Jeffrey P. Staab
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; Mayo Clinic; Rochester Minnesota USA
| | - Salvatore Nigro
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council; Catanzaro 88100 Italy
| | - Antonio Augimeri
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council; Catanzaro 88100 Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation; Rome 00179 Italy
- Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata; Rome 00173 Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine; University of Rome Tor Vergata; Rome 00133 Italy
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council; Catanzaro 88100 Italy
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences; University of Cambridge; Cambridge United Kingdom
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Lacquaniti F, Bosco G, Gravano S, Indovina I, La Scaleia B, Maffei V, Zago M. Gravity in the Brain as a Reference for Space and Time Perception. Multisens Res 2016; 28:397-426. [PMID: 26595949 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-00002471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Moving and interacting with the environment require a reference for orientation and a scale for calibration in space and time. There is a wide variety of environmental clues and calibrated frames at different locales, but the reference of gravity is ubiquitous on Earth. The pull of gravity on static objects provides a plummet which, together with the horizontal plane, defines a three-dimensional Cartesian frame for visual images. On the other hand, the gravitational acceleration of falling objects can provide a time-stamp on events, because the motion duration of an object accelerated by gravity over a given path is fixed. Indeed, since ancient times, man has been using plumb bobs for spatial surveying, and water clocks or pendulum clocks for time keeping. Here we review behavioral evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the brain is endowed with mechanisms that exploit the presence of gravity to estimate the spatial orientation and the passage of time. Several visual and non-visual (vestibular, haptic, visceral) cues are merged to estimate the orientation of the visual vertical. However, the relative weight of each cue is not fixed, but depends on the specific task. Next, we show that an internal model of the effects of gravity is combined with multisensory signals to time the interception of falling objects, to time the passage through spatial landmarks during virtual navigation, to assess the duration of a gravitational motion, and to judge the naturalness of periodic motion under gravity.
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Indovina I, Mazzarella E, Maffei V, Cesqui B, Passamonti L, Lacquaniti F. Sound-evoked vestibular stimulation affects the anticipation of gravity effects during visual self-motion. Exp Brain Res 2015; 233:2365-71. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4306-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Mijatović A, La Scaleia B, Mercuri N, Lacquaniti F, Zago M. Familiar trajectories facilitate the interpretation of physical forces when intercepting a moving target. Exp Brain Res 2014; 232:3803-11. [PMID: 25142150 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4050-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Familiarity with the visual environment affects our expectations about the objects in a scene, aiding in recognition and interaction. Here we tested whether the familiarity with the specific trajectory followed by a moving target facilitates the interpretation of the effects of underlying physical forces. Participants intercepted a target sliding down either an inclined plane or a tautochrone. Gravity accelerated the target by the same amount in both cases, but the inclined plane represented a familiar trajectory whereas the tautochrone was unfamiliar to the participants. In separate sessions, the gravity field was consistent with either natural gravity or artificial reversed gravity. Target motion was occluded from view over the last segment. We found that the responses in the session with unnatural forces were systematically delayed relative to those with natural forces, but only for the inclined plane. The time shift is consistent with a bias for natural gravity, in so far as it reflects an a priori expectation that a target not affected by natural forces will arrive later than one accelerated downwards by gravity. Instead, we did not find any significant time shift with unnatural forces in the case of the tautochrone. We argue that interception of a moving target relies on the integration of the high-level cue of trajectory familiarity with low-level cues related to target kinematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonija Mijatović
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy
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Multisensory integration and internal models for sensing gravity effects in primates. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 2014:615854. [PMID: 25061610 PMCID: PMC4100343 DOI: 10.1155/2014/615854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Gravity is crucial for spatial perception, postural equilibrium, and movement generation. The vestibular apparatus is the main sensory system involved in monitoring gravity. Hair cells in the vestibular maculae respond to gravitoinertial forces, but they cannot distinguish between linear accelerations and changes of head orientation relative to gravity. The brain deals with this sensory ambiguity (which can cause some lethal airplane accidents) by combining several cues with the otolith signals: angular velocity signals provided by the semicircular canals, proprioceptive signals from muscles and tendons, visceral signals related to gravity, and visual signals. In particular, vision provides both static and dynamic signals about body orientation relative to the vertical, but it poorly discriminates arbitrary accelerations of moving objects. However, we are able to visually detect the specific acceleration of gravity since early infancy. This ability depends on the fact that gravity effects are stored in brain regions which integrate visual, vestibular, and neck proprioceptive signals and combine this information with an internal model of gravity effects.
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