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Davidson MJ, Keys RT, Szekely B, MacNeilage P, Verstraten F, Alais D. Continuous peripersonal tracking accuracy is limited by the speed and phase of locomotion. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14864. [PMID: 37684285 PMCID: PMC10491677 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40655-y] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that perceptual and cognitive functions are codetermined by rhythmic bodily states. Prior investigations have focused on the cardiac and respiratory rhythms, both of which are also known to synchronise with locomotion-arguably our most common and natural of voluntary behaviours. Compared to the cardiorespiratory rhythms, walking is easier to voluntarily control, enabling a test of how natural and voluntary rhythmic action may affect sensory function. Here we show that the speed and phase of human locomotion constrains sensorimotor performance. We used a continuous visuo-motor tracking task in a wireless, body-tracking virtual environment, and found that the accuracy and reaction time of continuous reaching movements were decreased at slower walking speeds, and rhythmically modulated according to the phases of the step-cycle. Decreased accuracy when walking at slow speeds suggests an advantage for interlimb coordination at normal walking speeds, in contrast to previous research on dual-task walking and reach-to-grasp movements. Phasic modulations of reach precision within the step-cycle also suggest that the upper limbs are affected by the ballistic demands of motor-preparation during natural locomotion. Together these results show that the natural phases of human locomotion impose constraints on sensorimotor function and demonstrate the value of examining dynamic and natural behaviour in contrast to the traditional and static methods of psychological science.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brian Szekely
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, USA
| | | | - Frans Verstraten
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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2
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Mineiro J, Buckingham G. O hand, where art thou? Mapping hand location across the visual field during common activities. Exp Brain Res 2023; 241:1227-1239. [PMID: 36961553 PMCID: PMC10130124 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06597-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Humans employ visually-guided actions during a myriad of daily activities. These ubiquitous but precise manual actions rely on synergistic work between eye and hand movements. During this close cooperation between hands and eyes, the hands persist in sight in a way which is unevenly distributed across our visual field. One common assertion is that most hand actions occur in the lower visual field (LVF) because the arms are anatomically lower than the head, and objects typically rest on waist-high table surfaces. While experimental work has shown that humans are more efficient at reaching for and grasping targets located below their visual midline (Goodale and Danckert, Exp Brain Res 137:303-308, 2001), there is almost no empirical data detailing where the hands lie in the visual fields during natural hand actions. To build a comprehensive picture of hand location during natural visually guided manual actions, we analyzed data from a large-scale open-access dataset containing 100 h of non-scripted manual object interactions during domestic kitchen tasks filmed from a head-mounted camera. We found a clear vertical visual asymmetry with hands located in the lower visual scene (LVS) in more than 70% of image frames, particularly in ipsilateral space. These findings provide the first direct evidence for the established assumption that hands spend more time in the lower than in the upper visual field (UVF). Further work is required to determine whether this LVF asymmetry differs across the lifespan, in different professions, and in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joao Mineiro
- Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Gavin Buckingham
- Department of Public Health and Sports Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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3
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Mani H, Kato N, Hasegawa N, Urano Y, Aiko T, Kurogi T, Asaka T. Visual feedback in the lower visual field affects postural control during static standing. Gait Posture 2022; 97:1-7. [PMID: 35843008 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2022.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The dorsal parietal visual system plays an important role in self-motion perception and spatial cognition. It also strongly responds to visual inputs from the lower visual field. Postural control is modified in a process called sensory reweighting based on the reliability of available sensory sources. The question of whether visual stimuli presented to either the lower or upper visual field affect postural control and sensory reweighting has not been resolved. RESEARCH QUESTION Do visual stimuli presented to the lower and upper visual fields affect postural control and sensory reweighting? METHODS Twenty-nine healthy young adults participated in the study. Four conditions (full visual field, upper visual field, lower visual field, and no optic flow condition) were simulated in a VR environment using a head-mounted display. The optic flow stimuli used were swarms of small white spheres originating from the central point of the visual field, moving radially towards the periphery, and expanding across the scene. Participants were instructed to stand quietly for 50 s under each visual condition. Using force plate signals, we measured the center of pressure (COP) signal in the horizontal plane and calculated its 95 % ellipse area, root mean square (RMS) deviations, the mean velocity, and power spectral density (PSD). RESULTS Optic flow in the full and lower visual fields produced significantly smaller 95 % ellipse area and RMS of COP in the anterior-posterior direction compared to optic flow in the upper visual field. Furthermore, the PSD of the lower frequency band (0-0.3 Hz) was decreased and that of higher frequency bands (0.3-1 Hz and 1-3 Hz) was increased for the lower compared to the upper visual field. SIGNIFICANCE Visual feedback affects static postural control more when presented in the lower visual field compared to the upper visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Mani
- Faculty of Welfare and Health Science, Oita University, 700, Dannoharu, 870-1192 Oita, Japan.
| | - Norio Kato
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University of Science, 7-Jo 15-4-1 Maeda, Teine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 006-858, Japan.
| | - Naoya Hasegawa
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Kita 12 Nishi 5, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0812, Japan.
| | - Yuto Urano
- Undergraduate School of Welfare and Health Science, Oita University, 700, Dannoharu, 870-1192 Oita, Japan.
| | - Takumi Aiko
- Undergraduate School of Welfare and Health Science, Oita University, 700, Dannoharu, 870-1192 Oita, Japan.
| | - Takaki Kurogi
- Undergraduate School of Welfare and Health Science, Oita University, 700, Dannoharu, 870-1192 Oita, Japan.
| | - Tadayoshi Asaka
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Kita 12 Nishi 5, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0812, Japan.
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Maltempo T, Pitzalis S, Bellagamba M, Di Marco S, Fattori P, Galati G, Galletti C, Sulpizio V. Lower visual field preference for the visuomotor control of limb movements in the human dorsomedial parietal cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2989-3005. [PMID: 33738579 PMCID: PMC8541995 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02254-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Visual cues coming from the lower visual field (VF) play an important role in the visual guidance of upper and lower limb movements. A recently described region situated in the dorsomedial parietal cortex, area hPEc (Pitzalis et al. in NeuroImage 202:116092, 2019), might have a role in integrating visually derived information with somatomotor signals to guide limb interaction with the environment. In macaque, it has been demonstrated that PEc receives visual information mostly from the lower visual field but, to date, there has been no systematic investigation of VF preference in the newly defined human homologue of macaque area PEc (hPEc). Here we examined the VF preferences of hPEc while participants performed a visuomotor task implying spatially directed delayed eye-, hand- and foot-movements towards different spatial locations within the VF. By analyzing data as a function of the different target locations towards which upcoming movements were planned (and then executed), we observed the presence of asymmetry in the vertical dimension of VF in area hPEc, being this area more strongly activated by limb movements directed towards visual targets located in the lower compared to the upper VF. This result confirms the view, first advanced in macaque monkey, that PEc is involved in processing visual information to guide body interaction with the external environment, including locomotion. We also observed a contralateral dominance for the lower VF preference in the foot selective somatomotor cortex anterior to hPEc. This result might reflect the role of this cortex (which includes areas PE and S-I) in providing highly topographically organized signals, likely useful to achieve an appropriate foot posture during locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Maltempo
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Bellagamba
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Di Marco
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.,Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gaspare Galati
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy. .,Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. .,Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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Fujimoto K, Ashida H. Larger Head Displacement to Optic Flow Presented in the Lower Visual Field. Iperception 2019; 10:2041669519886903. [PMID: 31803463 PMCID: PMC6876183 DOI: 10.1177/2041669519886903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Optic flow that simulates self-motion often produces postural adjustment. Although literature has suggested that human postural control depends largely on visual inputs from the lower field in the environment, effects of the vertical location of optic flow on postural responses are not well investigated. Here, we examined whether optic flow presented in the lower visual field produces stronger responses than optic flow in the upper visual field. Either expanding or contracting optic flow was presented in upper, lower, or full visual fields through an Oculus Rift head-mounted display. Head displacement and vection strength were measured. Results showed larger head displacement under the optic flow presentation in the full visual field and the lower visual field than the upper visual field, during early period of presentation of the contracting optic flow. Vection was strongest in the full visual field and weakest in the upper visual field. Our findings of lower field superiority in head displacement and vection support the notion that ecologically relevant information has a particularly important role in human postural control and self-motion perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanon Fujimoto
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ashida
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Japan
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Rinaldi NM, Lim J, Hamill J, Van Emmerik R, Moraes R. Walking combined with reach-to-grasp while crossing obstacles at different distances. Gait Posture 2018; 65:1-7. [PMID: 30558913 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.06.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obstacle avoidance and object prehension occur regularly in real-world environments (walking up/down steps and opening a door). However, it is not known how walking and prehension change when there is an increase in the level of difficulty of the walking task. RESEARCH QUESTION We investigated the changes in walking and reach-tograsp when performing these two motor skills concomitantly in the presence of an obstacle on the ground positioned in different locations in relation to the object-to-be-grasped. METHODS Fifteen young adults walked and grasped a dowel placed on a support with the obstacle positioned at the step before (N-1), during (N) and after (N + 1) the prehension task. RESULTS The prehension task did not affect leading limb obstacle negotiation. Toe clearance and maximum toe elevation were lesser at obstacle position N + 1 than at obstacle position N-1 when combining grasping and obstacle-crossing task for the trailing limb. Step width increased in the presence of the obstacle-crossing task independent of obstacle location. The correlation between foot position before the obstacle and toe clearance revealed that the addition of the prehension task disrupted the relationship between these variables for the trailing limb. Foot placement and limb elevation were unaffected by the prehension task. The reaching component was unaffected by the increased level of difficulty of the walking task. The grasping component was affected by the increased level of difficulty of the walking task, as the time to peak grip aperture occurred earlier in the presence of the obstacle at position N, and may indicate a cautious strategy to grasp the dowel successfully. SIGNIFICANCE Our results showed that prospective control is affected after the prehension since the attention to grasping may have impaired the acquisition of visual information for planning the trailing limb elevation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Madalena Rinaldi
- Center of Physical Education and Sports, Department of Sports, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
| | - Jongil Lim
- Biomechanics and Motor Control Laboratories, University of Massachusetts, USA; Department of Counseling, Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, San Antonio, USA
| | - Joseph Hamill
- Biomechanics and Motor Control Laboratories, University of Massachusetts, USA
| | - Richard Van Emmerik
- Biomechanics and Motor Control Laboratories, University of Massachusetts, USA
| | - Renato Moraes
- Biomechanics and Motor Control Lab, School of Physical Education and Sport of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil
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Fattori P, Breveglieri R, Bosco A, Gamberini M, Galletti C. Vision for Prehension in the Medial Parietal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:1149-1163. [PMID: 26656999 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last 2 decades, the medial posterior parietal area V6A has been extensively studied in awake macaque monkeys for visual and somatosensory properties and for its involvement in encoding of spatial parameters for reaching, including arm movement direction and amplitude. This area also contains populations of neurons sensitive to grasping movements, such as wrist orientation and grip formation. Recent work has shown that V6A neurons also encode the shape of graspable objects and their affordance. In other words, V6A seems to encode object visual properties specifically for the purpose of action, in a dynamic sequence of visuomotor transformations that evolve in the course of reach-to-grasp action.We propose a model of cortical circuitry controlling reach-to-grasp actions, in which V6A acts as a comparator that monitors differences between current and desired hand positions and configurations. This error signal could be used to continuously update the motor output, and to correct reach direction, hand orientation, and/or grip aperture as required during the act of prehension.In contrast to the generally accepted view that the dorsomedial component of the dorsal visual stream encodes reaching, but not grasping, the functional properties of V6A neurons strongly suggest the view that this area is involved in encoding all phases of prehension, including grasping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Rossella Breveglieri
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bosco
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Michela Gamberini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Gait and reach-to-grasp movements are mutually modified when performed simultaneously. Hum Mov Sci 2015; 40:38-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Revised: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Rossit S, McAdam T, Mclean DA, Goodale MA, Culham JC. fMRI reveals a lower visual field preference for hand actions in human superior parieto-occipital cortex (SPOC) and precuneus. Cortex 2013; 49:2525-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2012] [Revised: 10/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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