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Rodrigues MM, De Sá Teixeira N. Motion extrapolation in sport expertise: Representational momentum and representational gravity in volleyball athletes. Cognition 2024; 250:105869. [PMID: 38971021 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
When people indicate the vanishing location of a moving target that suddenly disappears, systematic errors forward (in the direction of motion) and downward (in the direction of gravity) emerge. These spatial displacements were coined, respectively, Representational Momentum and Representational Gravity, and are believed to reflect internalized ecologically relevant physical invariants useful for the anticipation of future states of an event. Previous research has shown that sports athletes exhibit increased Representational Momentum, indicating enhanced motion extrapolation and anticipation, albeit it is still not clear up to what degree this effect is specific for the expertise context or if it generalizes to other dynamic events. Furthermore, the influence of expertise on Representational Gravity, particularly in contexts where anticipation of vertically moving objects is crucial, remains understudied. This study aimed to address these gaps by focusing on Volleyball as a context of expertise due to the prevalence of fast vertically moving balls. Volleyball athletes and non-athletes indicated the perceived offset location of a smoothly moving target, which moved at a constant speed or was subjected to acceleration/deceleration, embedded either in a Volleyball or neutral context. Outcomes revealed that for the Volleyball context, athletes, but not non-athletes, revealed a significant trend to misperceive targets moving along the left diagonal to be further displaced forward beyond what would be expected due to Representational Momentum alone. This finding is discussed in relation to the natural statistics of Volleyball games, where crossed ball trajectories, particularly by the outside hitter, are more prevalent, fast, and offensive, requiring better anticipation to be efficiently dealt with.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana M Rodrigues
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Nuno De Sá Teixeira
- Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; William James Center for Research, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
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2
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Rock CG, Kwak ST, Luo A, Yang X, Yun K, Chang YH. Realizing the gravity of the simulation: adaptation to simulated hypogravity leads to altered predictive control. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1397016. [PMID: 38854629 PMCID: PMC11157081 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1397016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Accurate predictive abilities are important for a wide variety of animal behaviors. Inherent to many of these predictions is an understanding of the physics that underlie the behavior. Humans are specifically attuned to the physics on Earth but can learn to move in other environments (e.g., the surface of the Moon). However, the adjustments made to their physics-based predictions in the face of altered gravity are not fully understood. The current study aimed to characterize the locomotor adaptation to a novel paradigm for simulated reduced gravity. We hypothesized that exposure to simulated hypogravity would result in updated predictions of gravity-based movement. Twenty participants took part in a protocol that had them perform vertically targeted countermovement jumps before (PRE), during, and after (POST) a physical simulation of hypogravity. Jumping in simulated hypogravity had different neuromechanics from the PRE condition, with reduced ground impulses (p ≤ .009) and muscle activity prior to the time of landing (i.e., preactivation; p ≤ .016). In the 1 g POST condition, muscle preactivation remained reduced (p ≤ .033) and was delayed (p ≤ .008) by up to 33% for most muscles of the triceps surae, reflecting an expectation of hypogravity. The aftereffects in muscle preactivation, along with little-to-no change in muscle dynamics during ground contact, point to a neuromechanical adaptation that affects predictive, feed-forward systems over feedback systems. As such, we conclude that the neural representation, or internal model, of gravity is updated after exposure to simulated hypogravity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase G. Rock
- Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Young-Hui Chang
- Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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3
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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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Indovina I, Cacciola A, Delle Monache S, Milardi D, Lacquaniti F, Toschi N, Cochereau J, Bosco G. A case report of agoraphobia following right parietal lobe surgery: changes in functional and structural connectivities of the multimodal vestibular network. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1163005. [PMID: 37251237 PMCID: PMC10213528 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1163005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Agoraphobia is a visuo-vestibular-spatial disorder that may involve dysfunction of the vestibular network, which includes the insular and limbic cortex. We sought to study the neural correlates of this disorder in an individual who developed agoraphobia after surgical removal of a high-grade glioma located in the right parietal lobe, by assessing pre- and post-surgery connectivities in the vestibular network. The patient underwent surgical resection of the glioma located within the right supramarginal gyrus. The resection interested also portions of the superior and inferior parietal lobe. Structural and functional connectivities were assessed through magnetic resonance imaging before and 5 and 7 months after surgery. Connectivity analyses focused on a network comprising 142 spherical regions of interest (4 mm radius) associated with the vestibular cortex: 77 in the left and 65 in the right hemisphere (excluding lesioned regions). Tractography for diffusion-weighted structural data and correlation between time series for functional resting-state data were calculated for each pair of regions in order to build weighted connectivity matrices. Graph theory was applied to assess post-surgery changes in network measures, such as strength, clustering coefficient, and local efficiency. Structural connectomes after surgery showed a decrease of strength in the preserved ventral portion of the supramarginal gyrus (PFcm) and in a high order visual motion area in the right middle temporal gyrus (37dl), and decrease of the clustering coefficient and of the local efficiency in several areas of the limbic, insular cortex, parietal and frontal cortex, indicating general disconnection of the vestibular network. Functional connectivity analysis showed both a decrease in connectivity metrics, mainly in high-order visual areas and in the parietal cortex, and an increase in connectivity metrics, mainly in the precuneus, parietal and frontal opercula, limbic, and insular cortex. This post-surgery reorganization of the vestibular network is compatible with altered processing of visuo-vestibular-spatial information, yielding agoraphobia symptoms. Specifically, post-surgical functional increases of clustering coefficient and local efficiency in the anterior insula and in the cingulate cortex might indicate a more predominant role of these areas within the vestibular network, which could be predictive of the fear and avoiding behavior characterizing agoraphobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iole Indovina
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Cacciola
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Sergio Delle Monache
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Departmental Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Demetrio Milardi
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, 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
| | - Jerome Cochereau
- Department of Neurosurgery, Poitiers University Medical Center, La Miletrie Hospital, Poitiers, France
- Institute of Functional Genomics, INSERM 1191, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Gianfranco Bosco
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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6
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How vestibular dysfunction transforms into symptoms of depersonalization and derealization? J Neurol Sci 2023; 444:120530. [PMID: 36586207 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2022.120530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychiatric Depersonalization/Derealization (DPDR) symptoms were demonstrated in patients with peripheral vestibular disorders. However, only semicircular canals (SCCs) dysfunction was evaluated, therefore, otoliths' contribution to DPDR is unknown. Also, DPDR symptoms in patients with central vestibular dysfunction are presently unknown. DPDR was also studied in the context of spatial disorientation and anxiety, but the relation of these cognitive and emotional functions to vestibular dysfunction requires clarification. METHODS We tested patients with peripheral Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction (pBVH), Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) with cerebellar and central bilateral vestibular hypofunction, and healthy controls. Participants completed the video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) for SCCs function, cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials test (cVEMPt) for sacculi function, Body Sensation Questionnaire (BSQ) for panic anxiety, Object Perspective-Taking test (OPTt) for spatial orientation and Cox & Swinson DPDR inventory for DPDR symptoms. RESULTS pBVH patients showed significant SCCs and sacculi dysfunction, spatial disorientation, elevated panic anxiety, and DPDR symptoms. MJD patients showed significant SCCs hypofunction but preserved sacculi function, spatial disorientation but normal levels of panic anxiety and DPDR symptoms. Only pBVH patients demonstrated a positive correlation between the severity of the DPDR and spatial disorientation and panic anxiety. CONCLUSIONS DPDR develops in association with sacculi dysfunction, either with or without SSCs dysfunction. Spatial disorientation and anxiety seem to mediate the transformation of vestibular dysfunction into DPDR symptoms. DPDR does not develop in MJD with central vestibular hypofunction but a normal saccular response. We propose a three-step model that describes the development of DPDR symptoms in vestibular patients.
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7
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Arshad I, Gallagher M, Ferrè ER. Visuo-vestibular conflicts within the roll plane modulate multisensory verticality perception. Neurosci Lett 2023; 792:136963. [PMID: 36375625 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The integration of visuo-vestibular information is crucial when interacting with the external environment. Under normal circumstances, vision and vestibular signals provide corroborating information, for example regarding the direction and speed of self-motion. However, conflicts in visuo-vestibular signalling, such as optic flow presented to a stationary observer, can change subsequent processing in either modality. While previous studies have demonstrated the impact of sensory conflict on unisensory visual or vestibular percepts, here we investigated whether visuo-vestibular conflicts impact sensitivity to multisensory percepts, specifically verticality. Participants were exposed to a visuo-vestibular conflicting or non-conflicting motion adaptor before completing a Vertical Detection Task. Sensitivity to vertical stimuli was reduced following visuo-vestibular conflict. No significant differences in criterion were found. Our findings suggest that visuo-vestibular conflicts not only modulate processing in unimodal channels, but also broader multisensory percepts, which may have implications for higher-level processing dependent on the integration of visual and vestibular signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Arshad
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, United Kingdom
| | - M Gallagher
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, United Kingdom; School of Psychology, University of Kent, United Kingdom.
| | - E R Ferrè
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, United Kingdom
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8
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Razzak RA, Jahrami H, Husni M, Ali ME, Bagust J. Perceptual visual dependence for spatial orientation in patients with schizophrenia. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0278718. [PMID: 36455045 PMCID: PMC9714874 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia are reported to have vestibular dysfunction and to weigh vestibular input to a lesser extent compared to healthy controls. Such deficits may increase visual dependence (VD) for spatial orientation at a perceptual level in these patients. The aim of this study is to compare VD levels between healthy control and patients with schizophrenia and to explore associations between VD and clinical measures in these patients. Relation of VD to antipsychotic drug treatment is also discussed. METHOD 18 patients with schizophrenia and 19 healthy controls participated in this study. The Rod and Disc Test (RDT) was used to create an optokinetic surround around a centrally located rod. Participants aligned the rod to their subjective visual vertical (SVV) in both static and dynamic disc conditions. VD was calculated as the difference in SVV between these two conditions. RESULTS There was no group difference or gender difference in static or dynamic SVV as well as VD. There was no correlation between VD and any of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores, however VD was significantly correlated to illness duration in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS Schizophrenia is not associated with greater VD levels at a perceptual level, compared to controls, indicating adequate visuo-vestibular integration for judging line verticality in these patients. Patients with greater chronicity of the disease are more visually dependent than those less chronically ill, consistent with previous reports of possible vestibular dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. This may affect their daily functioning in dynamic visual environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rima Abdul Razzak
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS), Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Manama, Bahrain
- * E-mail:
| | - Haitham Jahrami
- Ministry of Health (MOH), Manama, Bahrain
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS), Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Manama, Bahrain
| | - Mariwan Husni
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences (CMMS), Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Manama, Bahrain
- Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Ontario, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jeff Bagust
- Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University, Poole, United Kingdom
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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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Carriot J, Mackrous I, Cullen KE. Challenges to the Vestibular System in Space: How the Brain Responds and Adapts to Microgravity. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:760313. [PMID: 34803615 PMCID: PMC8595211 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.760313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the next century, flying civilians to space or humans to Mars will no longer be a subject of science fiction. The altered gravitational environment experienced during space flight, as well as that experienced following landing, results in impaired perceptual and motor performance-particularly in the first days of the new environmental challenge. Notably, the absence of gravity unloads the vestibular otolith organs such that they are no longer stimulated as they would be on earth. Understanding how the brain responds initially and then adapts to altered sensory input has important implications for understanding the inherent abilities as well as limitations of human performance. Space-based experiments have shown that altered gravity causes structural and functional changes at multiple stages of vestibular processing, spanning from the hair cells of its sensory organs to the Purkinje cells of the vestibular cerebellum. Furthermore, ground-based experiments have established the adaptive capacity of vestibular pathways and neural mechanism that likely underlie this adaptation. We review these studies and suggest that the brain likely uses two key strategies to adapt to changes in gravity: (i) the updating of a cerebellum-based internal model of the sensory consequences of gravity; and (ii) the re-weighting of extra-vestibular information as the vestibular system becomes less (i.e., entering microgravity) and then again more reliable (i.e., return to earth).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérome Carriot
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Kathleen E. Cullen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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11
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Benady A, Zadik S, Zeilig G, Gilaie-Dotan S, Plotnik M. Gait Speed Modulations Are Proportional to Grades of Virtual Visual Slopes-A Virtual Reality Study. Front Neurol 2021; 12:615242. [PMID: 34512493 PMCID: PMC8425350 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.615242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Gait is a complex mechanism relying on integration of several sensory inputs such as vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual cues to maintain stability while walking. Often humans adapt their gait to changes in surface inclinations, and this is typically achieved by modulating walking speed according to the inclination in order to counteract the gravitational forces, either uphill (exertion effect) or downhill (braking effect). The contribution of vision to these speed modulations is not fully understood. Here we assessed gait speed effects by parametrically manipulating the discrepancy between virtual visual inclination and the actual surface inclination (aka visual incongruence). Fifteen healthy participants walked in a large-scale virtual reality (VR) system on a self-paced treadmill synchronized with projected visual scenes. During walking they were randomly exposed to varying degrees of physical-visual incongruence inclinations (e.g., treadmill leveled & visual scene uphill) in a wide range of inclinations (−15° to +15°). We observed an approximately linear relation between the relative change in gait speed and the anticipated gravitational forces associated with the virtual inclinations. Mean relative gait speed increase of ~7%, ~11%, and ~17% were measured for virtual inclinations of +5°, +10°, and +15°, respectively (anticipated decelerating forces were proportional to sin[5°], sin[10°], sin[15°]). The same pattern was seen for downhill virtual inclinations with relative gait speed modulations of ~-10%, ~-16%, and ~-24% for inclinations of −5°, −10°, and −15°, respectively (in anticipation of accelerating forces). Furthermore, we observed that the magnitude of speed modulation following virtual inclination at ±10° was associated with subjective visual verticality misperception. In conclusion, visual cues modulate gait speed when surface inclinations change proportional to the anticipated effect of the gravitational force associated the inclinations. Our results emphasize the contribution of vision to locomotion in a dynamic environment and may enhance personalized rehabilitation strategies for gait speed modulations in neurological patients with gait impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Benady
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Sean Zadik
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Gabriel Zeilig
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,School of Health Professions, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel
| | - Sharon Gilaie-Dotan
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.,UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
| | - Meir Plotnik
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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12
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Kim G, Kim KS. Hypergravity-induced malfunction was moderated by the regulation of NMDA receptors in the vestibular nucleus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17420. [PMID: 34465851 PMCID: PMC8408201 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97050-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Gravity alteration is one of the critical environmental factors in the space, causing various abnormal behaviors related with the malfunctioned vestibular system. Due to the high plastic responses in the central vestibular system, the behavioral failures were resolved in a short period of time (in approx. 72 h). However, the plastic neurotransmission underlying the functional recovery is still elusive. To understand the neurotransmitter-induced plasticity under hypergravity, the extracellular single neuronal recording and the immunohistochemistry were conducted in the vestibular nucleus (VN). The animals were grouped as control, 24-h, 72-h, and 15-day exposing to 4G-hypergravity, and each group had two subgroups based on the origins of neuronal responses, such as canal and otolith. The averaged firing rates in VN showed no significant difference in the subgroups (canal-related: p > 0.105, otolith-related: p > 0.138). Meanwhile, the number of NMDAr was significantly changed by the exposing duration to hypergravity. The NMDAr decreased in 24 h (p = 1.048 × 10–9), and it was retrieved in 72 h and 15 days (p < 4.245 × 10–5). Apparently, the reduction and the retrieval in the number of NMDAr were synchronized with the generation and recovery of the abnormal behaviors. Thus, the plasticity to resolve the hypergravity-induced malfunctional behaviors was conducted by regulating the number of NMDAr.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyutae Kim
- Research Institute for Aerospace Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.
| | - Kyu-Sung Kim
- Research Institute for Aerospace Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Korea
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13
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Gallagher M, Kearney B, Ferrè ER. Where is my hand in space? The internal model of gravity influences proprioception. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210115. [PMID: 34062087 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowing where our limbs are in space is crucial for a successful interaction with the external world. Joint position sense (JPS) relies on both cues from muscle spindles and joint mechanoreceptors, as well as the effort required to move. However, JPS may also rely on the perceived external force on the limb, such as the gravitational field. It is well known that the internal model of gravity plays a large role in perception and behaviour. Thus, we have explored whether direct vestibular-gravitational cues could influence JPS. Participants passively estimated the position of their hand while they were upright and therefore aligned with terrestrial gravity, or pitch-tilted 45° backwards from gravity. Overall participants overestimated the position of their hand in both upright and tilted postures; however, the proprioceptive bias was significantly reduced when participants were tilted. Our findings therefore suggest that the internal model of gravity may influence and update JPS in order to allow the organism to interact with the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK.,School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Breanne Kearney
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Elisa Raffaella Ferrè
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
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14
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Abstract
Even for a stereotyped task, sensorimotor behavior is generally variable due to noise, redundancy, adaptability, learning or plasticity. The sources and significance of different kinds of behavioral variability have attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, the idea that part of this variability depends on unique individual strategies has been explored to a lesser extent. In particular, the notion of style recurs infrequently in the literature on sensorimotor behavior. In general use, style refers to a distinctive manner or custom of behaving oneself or of doing something, especially one that is typical of a person, group of people, place, context, or period. The application of the term to the domain of perceptual and motor phenomenology opens new perspectives on the nature of behavioral variability, perspectives that are complementary to those typically considered in the studies of sensorimotor variability. In particular, the concept of style may help toward the development of personalised physiology and medicine by providing markers of individual behaviour and response to different stimuli or treatments. Here, we cover some potential applications of the concept of perceptual-motor style to different areas of neuroscience, both in the healthy and the diseased. We prefer to be as general as possible in the types of applications we consider, even at the expense of running the risk of encompassing loosely related studies, given the relative novelty of the introduction of the term perceptual-motor style in neurosciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Paul Vidal
- CNRS, SSA, ENS Paris Saclay, Université de Paris, Centre Borelli, 75005 Paris, France
- Institute of Information and Control, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Department of Systems Medicine, Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy
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15
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Benady A, Zadik S, Ben-Gal O, Cano Porras D, Wenkert A, Gilaie-Dotan S, Plotnik M. Vision Affects Gait Speed but not Patterns of Muscle Activation During Inclined Walking-A Virtual Reality Study. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:632594. [PMID: 33898402 PMCID: PMC8062981 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.632594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
While walking, our locomotion is affected by and adapts to the environment based on vision- and body-based (vestibular and proprioception) cues. When transitioning to downhill walking, we modulate gait by braking to avoid uncontrolled acceleration, and when transitioning to uphill walking, we exert effort to avoid deceleration. In this study, we aimed to measure the influence of visual inputs on this behavior and on muscle activation. Specifically, we aimed to explore whether the gait speed modulations triggered by mere visual cues after transitioning to virtually inclined surface walking are accompanied by changes in muscle activation patterns typical to those triggered by veridical (gravitational) surface inclination transitions. We used an immersive virtual reality system equipped with a self-paced treadmill and projected visual scenes that allowed us to modulate physical-visual inclination congruence parametrically. Gait speed and leg muscle electromyography were measured in 12 healthy young adults. In addition, the magnitude of subjective visual verticality misperception (SVV) was measured by the rod and frame test. During virtual (non-veridical) inclination transitions, vision modulated gait speed by (i) slowing down to counteract the excepted gravitational "boost" in virtual downhill inclinations and (ii) speeding up to counteract the expected gravity resistance in virtual uphill inclinations. These gait speed modulations were reflected in muscle activation intensity changes and associated with SVV misperception. However, temporal patterns of muscle activation were not affected by virtual (visual) inclination transitions. Our results delineate the contribution of vision to locomotion and may lead to enhanced rehabilitation strategies for neurological disorders affecting movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Benady
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- St George’s University of London Medical School, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Sean Zadik
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- St George’s University of London Medical School, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Oran Ben-Gal
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Desiderio Cano Porras
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (BISS), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Atalia Wenkert
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Sharon Gilaie-Dotan
- School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Meir Plotnik
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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16
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Rousseau C, Barbiero M, Pozzo T, Papaxanthis C, White O. Actual and Imagined Movements Reveal a Dual Role of the Insular Cortex for Motor Control. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:2586-2594. [PMID: 33300566 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Movements rely on a mixture of feedforward and feedback mechanisms. With experience, the brain builds internal representations of actions in different contexts. Many factors are taken into account in this process among which is the immutable presence of gravity. Any displacement of a massive body in the gravitational field generates forces and torques that must be predicted and compensated by appropriate motor commands. The insular cortex is a key brain area for graviception. However, no attempt has been made to address whether the same internal representation of gravity is shared between feedforward and feedback mechanisms. Here, participants either mentally simulated (only feedforward) or performed (feedforward and feedback) vertical movements of the hand. We found that the posterior part of the insular cortex was engaged when feedback was processed. The anterior insula, however, was activated only in mental simulation of the action. A psychophysical experiment demonstrates participants' ability to integrate the effects of gravity. Our results point toward a dual internal representation of gravity within the insula. We discuss the conceptual link between these two dualities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Rousseau
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Marie Barbiero
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France.,Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), 75001, Paris, France
| | - Thierry Pozzo
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France.,IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Charalambos Papaxanthis
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Olivier White
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
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17
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Tekgün E, Erdeniz B. Influence of vestibular signals on bodily self-consciousness: Different sensory weighting strategies based on visual dependency. Conscious Cogn 2021; 91:103108. [PMID: 33770704 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103108] [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: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies showed that the vestibular system is crucial for multisensory integration, however, its contribution to bodily self-consciousness more specifically on full-body illusions is not well understood. Thus, the current study examined the role of visuo-vestibular conflict on a full-body illusion (FBI) experiment that was induced during a supine body position. In a mixed design experiment, 56 participants underwent through a full-body illusion protocol. During the experiment, half of the participants received synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation, and the other half received asynchronous visuo-tactile stimulation, while their physical body was lying in a supine position, but the virtual body was standing. Additionally, the contribution of individual sensory weighting strategies was investigated via the Rod and Frame task (RFT), which was applied both before (pre-FBI standing and pre-FBI supine) and after the full-body illusion (post-FBI supine) protocol. Subjective reports of the participants confirmed previous findings suggesting that there was a significant increase in ownership over a virtual body during synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation. Additionally, further categorization of participants based on their visual dependency (by RFT) showed that those participants who rely more on visual information (visual field dependents) perceived the full-body illusion more strongly than non-visual field dependents during the synchronous visuo-tactile stimulation condition. Further analysis provided not only a quantitative demonstration of full-body illusion but also revealed changes in perceived self-orientation based on their field dependency. Altogether, findings of the current study make further contributions to our understanding of the vestibular system and brought new insight for individual sensory weighting strategies during a full-body illusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ege Tekgün
- İzmir University of Economics, Department of Psychology, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Burak Erdeniz
- İzmir University of Economics, Department of Psychology, İzmir, Turkey.
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18
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Opsomer L, Crevecoeur F, Thonnard JL, McIntyre J, Lefèvre P. Distinct adaptation patterns between grip dynamics and arm kinematics when the body is upside-down. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:862-874. [PMID: 33656927 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00357.2020] [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] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, practically all movements are learnt and performed in a constant gravitational field. Yet, studies on arm movements and object manipulation in parabolic flight have highlighted very fast sensorimotor adaptations to altered gravity environments. Here, we wondered if the motor adjustments observed in those altered gravity environments could also be observed on Earth in a situation where the body is upside-down. To address this question, we asked participants to perform rhythmic arm movements in two different body postures (right-side-up and upside-down) while holding an object in precision grip. Analyses of grip-load force coordination and of movement kinematics revealed distinct adaptation patterns between grip and arm control. Grip force and load force were tightly synchronized from the first movements performed in upside-down posture, reflecting a malleable allocentric grip control. In contrast, velocity profiles showed a more progressive adaptation to the upside-down posture and reflected an egocentric planning of arm kinematics. In addition to suggesting distinct mechanisms between grip dynamics and arm kinematics for adaptation to novel contexts, these results also suggest the existence of general mechanisms underlying gravity-dependent motor adaptation that can be used for fast sensorimotor coordination across different postures on Earth and, incidentally, across different gravitational conditions in parabolic flights, in human centrifuges, or in Space.NEW & NOTEWORTHY During rhythmic arm movements performed in an upside-down posture, grip control adapted very quickly, but kinematics adaptation was more progressive. Our results suggest that grip control and movement kinematics planning might operate in different reference frames. Moreover, by comparing our results with previous results from parabolic flight studies, we propose that a common mechanism underlies adaptation to unfamiliar body postures and adaptation to altered gravity.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Opsomer
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - F Crevecoeur
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - J-L Thonnard
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - J McIntyre
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Paris, France.,TECNALIA,Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque Science Foundation, Bilbao, Spain
| | - P Lefèvre
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.,Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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19
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Indovina I, Bosco G, Riccelli R, Maffei V, Lacquaniti F, Passamonti L, Toschi N. Structural connectome and connectivity lateralization of the multimodal vestibular cortical network. Neuroimage 2020; 222:117247. [PMID: 32798675 PMCID: PMC7779422 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Unlike other sensory systems, the structural connectivity patterns of the human vestibular cortex remain a matter of debate. Based on their functional properties and hypothesized centrality within the vestibular network, the ‘core’ cortical regions of this network are thought to be areas in the posterior peri-sylvian cortex, in particular the retro-insula (previously named the posterior insular cortex-PIC), and the subregion OP2 of the parietal operculum. To study the vestibular network, structural connectivity matrices from n=974 healthy individuals drawn from the public Human Connectome Project (HCP) repository were estimated using multi-shell diffusion-weighted data followed by probabilistic tractography and spherical-deconvolution informed filtering of tractograms in combination with subject-specific grey-matter parcellations. Weighted graph-theoretical measures, modularity, and ‘hubness’ of the multimodal vestibular network were then estimated, and a structural lateralization index was defined in order to assess the difference in fiber density of homonym regions in the right and left hemisphere. Differences in connectivity patterns between OP2 and PIC were also estimated. We found that the bilateral intraparietal sulcus, PIC, and to a lesser degree OP2, are key ‘hub’ regions within the multimodal vestibular network. PIC and OP2 structural connectivity patterns were lateralized to the left hemisphere, while structural connectivity patterns of the posterior peri-sylvian supramarginal and superior temporal gyri were lateralized to the right hemisphere. These lateralization patterns were independent of handedness. We also found that the structural connectivity pattern of PIC is consistent with a key role of PIC in visuo-vestibular processing and that the structural connectivity pattern of OP2 is consistent with integration of mainly vestibular somato-sensory and motor information. These results suggest an analogy between PIC and the simian visual posterior sylvian (VPS) area and OP2 and the simian parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC). Overall, these findings may provide novel insights to the current models of vestibular function, as well as to the understanding of the complexity and lateralized signs of vestibular syndromes.
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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, via Ardeatina 354, 00179 Rome, Italy.
| | - Gianfranco Bosco
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, via Ardeatina 354, 00179 Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00173 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Riccelli
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, via Ardeatina 354, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Maffei
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, via Ardeatina 354, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, via Ardeatina 354, 00179 Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00173 Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, UK; Institute of Bioimaging & Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Milano, Italy; IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy.
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy; Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, USA
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20
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Jeon SH, Park YH, Oh SY, Kang JJ, Han YH, Jeong HJ, Lee JM, Park M, Kim JS, Dieterich M. Neural Correlates of Transient Mal de Debarquement Syndrome: Activation of Prefrontal and Deactivation of Cerebellar Networks Correlate With Neuropsychological Assessment. Front Neurol 2020; 11:585. [PMID: 32695063 PMCID: PMC7338684 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Mal de debarquement syndrome (MdDS) is characterized by a subjective perception of self-motion after exposure to passive motion, mostly after sea travel. A transient form of MdDS (t-MdDS) is common in healthy individuals without pathophysiological certainty. In the present cross-sectional study, the possible neuropsychiatric and functional neuroimaging changes in local fishermen with t-MdDS were evaluated. Methods: The present study included 28 fishermen from Buan County in South Korea; 15 (15/28, 53.6%) participants experienced t-MdDS for 1–6 h, and 13 were asymptomatic (13/28, 46.4%). Vestibular function tests were performed using video-oculography, the video head impulse test, and ocular and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. Visuospatial function was also assessed by the Corsi block test. Brain imaging comprised structural MRI, resting-state functional MRI, and [18F]FDG PET scans. Results: The results of vestibular function tests did not differ between the fishermen with and those without t-MdDS. However, participants with t-MdDS showed better performance in visuospatial memory function than those without t-MdDS (6.40 vs. 5.31, p-value = 0.016) as determined by the Corsi block test. Structural brain MRIs were normal in both groups. [18F]FDG PET showed a relative hypermetabolism in the bilateral occipital and prefrontal cortices and hypometabolism in the vestibulocerebellum (nodulus and uvula) in participants with t-MdDS compared to those without t-MdDS. Resting-state functional connectivities were significantly decreased between the vestibular regions of the flocculus, superior temporal gyrus, and parietal operculum and the visual association areas of the middle occipital gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and cuneus in participants with t-MdDS. Analysis of functional connectivity of the significant regions in the PET scans revealed decreased connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and visual processing areas in the t-MdDS group. Conclusion: Increased visuospatial memory, altered metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, visual cognition cortices, and the vestibulocerebellum, and decreased functional connectivity between these two functional areas might indicate reductions in the integration of vestibular input and enhancement of visuospatial attention in subjects with t-MdDS. Current functional neuroimaging similarities from transient MdDS via chronic MdDS to functional dizziness and anxiety disorders suggest a shared mechanism of enhanced self-awareness as a kind of continuum or as overlap disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Ho Jeon
- Department of Neurology, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea.,Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea
| | - Yeong-Hun Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Sun-Young Oh
- Department of Neurology, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea.,Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea
| | - Jin-Ju Kang
- Department of Neurology, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea.,Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea
| | - Yeon-Hee Han
- Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea
| | - Hwan-Jeong Jeong
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea.,Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju-si, South Korea
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Mijin Park
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Ji-Soo Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Marianne Dieterich
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders (IFBLMU), Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
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21
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Betti V, Della Penna S, de Pasquale F, Corbetta M. Spontaneous Beta Band Rhythms in the Predictive Coding of Natural Stimuli. Neuroscientist 2020; 27:184-201. [PMID: 32538310 PMCID: PMC7961741 DOI: 10.1177/1073858420928988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The regularity of the physical world and the biomechanics of the human body movements generate distributions of highly probable states that are internalized by the brain in the course of a lifetime. In Bayesian terms, the brain exploits prior knowledge, especially under conditions when sensory input is unavailable or uncertain, to predictively anticipate the most likely outcome of upcoming stimuli and movements. These internal models, formed during development, yet still malleable in adults, continuously adapt through the learning of novel stimuli and movements. Traditionally, neural beta (β) oscillations are considered essential for maintaining sensorimotor and cognitive representations, and for temporal coding of expectations. However, recent findings show that fluctuations of β band power in the resting state strongly correlate between cortical association regions. Moreover, central (hub) regions form strong interactions over time with different brain regions/networks (dynamic core). β band centrality fluctuations of regions of the dynamic core predict global efficiency peaks suggesting a mechanism for network integration. Furthermore, this temporal architecture is surprisingly stable, both in topology and dynamics, during the observation of ecological natural visual scenes, whereas synthetic temporally scrambled stimuli modify it. We propose that spontaneous β rhythms may function as a long-term “prior” of frequent environmental stimuli and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Betti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Penna
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies and Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience and Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Padua, Italy.,Department of Neurology, Radiology, and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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22
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White O, Gaveau J, Bringoux L, Crevecoeur F. The gravitational imprint on sensorimotor planning and control. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:4-19. [PMID: 32348686 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00381.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans excel at learning complex tasks, and elite performers such as musicians or athletes develop motor skills that defy biomechanical constraints. All actions require the movement of massive bodies. Of particular interest in the process of sensorimotor learning and control is the impact of gravitational forces on the body. Indeed, efficient control and accurate internal representations of the body configuration in space depend on our ability to feel and anticipate the action of gravity. Here we review studies on perception and sensorimotor control in both normal and altered gravity. Behavioral and modeling studies together suggested that the nervous system develops efficient strategies to take advantage of gravitational forces across a wide variety of tasks. However, when the body was exposed to altered gravity, the rate and amount of adaptation exhibited substantial variation from one experiment to another and sometimes led to partial adjustment only. Overall, these results support the hypothesis that the brain uses a multimodal and flexible representation of the effect of gravity on our body and movements. Future work is necessary to better characterize the nature of this internal representation and the extent to which it can adapt to novel contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- O White
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - J Gaveau
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - L Bringoux
- Institut des Sciences du Mouvement, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - F Crevecoeur
- Institute of Communication and Information Technologies, Electronics and Applied Mathematics (ICTEAM), UCLouvain, Belgium.,Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), UCLouvain, Belgium
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23
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Cano Porras D, Zeilig G, Doniger GM, Bahat Y, Inzelberg R, Plotnik M. Seeing Gravity: Gait Adaptations to Visual and Physical Inclines - A Virtual Reality Study. Front Neurosci 2020; 13:1308. [PMID: 32038123 PMCID: PMC6992711 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Using advanced virtual reality technology, we demonstrate that exposure to virtual inclinations visually simulating inclined walking induces gait modulations in a manner consistent with expected gravitational forces (i.e., acting upon a free body), suggesting vision-based perception of gravity. The force of gravity critically impacts the regulation of our movements. However, how humans perceive and incorporate gravity into locomotion is not well understood. In this study, we introduce a novel paradigm for exposing humans to incongruent sensory information under conditions constrained by distinct gravitational effects, facilitating analysis of the consistency of human locomotion with expected gravitational forces. Young healthy adults walked under conditions of actual physical inclinations as well as virtual inclinations. We identify and describe ‘braking’ and ‘exertion’ effects – locomotor adaptations accommodating gravito-inertial forces associated with physical inclines. We show that purely visual cues (from virtual inclinations) induce consistent locomotor adaptations to counter expected gravity-based changes, consistent with indirect prediction mechanisms. Specifically, downhill visual cues activate the braking effect in anticipation of a gravitational boost, whereas uphill visual cues promote an exertion effect in anticipation of gravitational deceleration. Although participants initially rely upon vision to accommodate environmental changes, a sensory reweighting mechanism gradually reprioritizes body-based cues over visual ones. A high-level neural model outlines a putative pathway subserving the observed effects. Our findings may be pivotal in designing virtual reality-based paradigms for understanding perception and action in complex environments with potential translational benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiderio Cano Porras
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Perception and Action in Complex Environments, Marie Curie International Training Network, European Union's Horizons 2020 Research and Innovation Program, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gabriel Zeilig
- Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Glen M Doniger
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Department of Clinical Research, NeuroTrax Corporation, Modiin, Israel.,The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yotam Bahat
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Rivka Inzelberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Meir Plotnik
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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24
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Tani K, Ishimaru S, Yamamoto S, Kodaka Y, Kushiro K. Effect of dynamic visual motion on perception of postural vertical through the modulation of prior knowledge of gravity. Neurosci Lett 2019; 716:134687. [PMID: 31838018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
To internally estimate gravitational direction and body orientation, the central nervous system considers several sensory inputs from the periphery and prior knowledge of gravity. It is hypothesized that the modulation of visual inputs, supplying indirect information of gravity, affects the prior knowledge established internally by other sensory inputs from vestibular and somatosensory systems, leading to the alteration of perceived body orientation relative to gravity. In order to test the hypothesis, we examined the effect of presenting a visual motion stimulus during a whole-body static tilt on the subsequent evaluation of the perceived postural vertical. Fifteen subjects watched a target moving along the body longitudinal axis directing from head to feet with constant downward acceleration (CA condition) or constant velocity (CV condition), or they did not receive any visual stimulation (NV condition) during the whole-body static tilt. Subsequently, the direction of the subjective postural vertical (SPV) was evaluated. The result showed that the SPV in the CA condition was significantly tilted toward the direction of the preceding tilt compared to that in the NV condition while those in the CV and NV conditions were not significantly different. The present result suggests that dynamic visual motion along body longitudinal axis with downward acceleration can modulate prior knowledge of gravity, and in turn this affects the perception of body verticality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Tani
- Laboratory of Psychology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1-20-1 Handayama, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 431-3192, Japan.
| | - Sho Ishimaru
- Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
| | - Shinji Yamamoto
- Faculty of Sport Sciences, Nihon Fukushi University, Okuda, Mihama-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi, 470-3295, Japan.
| | - Yasushi Kodaka
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Automotive Human Factors Research Center, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8568, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Kushiro
- Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan; Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
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25
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The role of cortical areas hMT/V5+ and TPJ on the magnitude of representational momentum and representational gravity: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Exp Brain Res 2019; 237:3375-3390. [PMID: 31728598 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05683-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The perceived vanishing location of a moving target is systematically displaced forward, in the direction of motion-representational momentum-, and downward, in the direction of gravity-representational gravity. Despite a wealth of research on the factors that modulate these phenomena, little is known regarding their neurophysiological substrates. The present experiment aims to explore which role is played by cortical areas hMT/V5+, linked to the processing of visual motion, and TPJ, thought to support the functioning of an internal model of gravity, in modulating both effects. Participants were required to perform a standard spatial localization task while the activity of the right hMT/V5+ or TPJ sites was selectively disrupted with an offline continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) protocol, interspersed with control blocks with no stimulation. Eye movements were recorded during all spatial localizations. Results revealed an increase in representational gravity contingent on the disruption of the activity of hMT/V5+ and, conversely, some evidence suggested a bigger representational momentum when TPJ was stimulated. Furthermore, stimulation of hMT/V5+ led to a decreased ocular overshoot and to a time-dependent downward drift of gaze location. These outcomes suggest that a reciprocal balance between perceived kinematics and anticipated dynamics might modulate these spatial localization responses, compatible with a push-pull mechanism.
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26
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Le Gall A, Hilber P, Chesneau C, Bulla J, Toulouse J, Machado M, Philoxene B, Smith P, Besnard S. The critical role of vestibular graviception during cognitive-motor development. Behav Brain Res 2019; 372:112040. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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27
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Indovina I, Conti A, Lacquaniti F, Staab JP, Passamonti L, Toschi N. Lower Functional Connectivity in Vestibular-Limbic Networks in Individuals With Subclinical Agoraphobia. Front Neurol 2019; 10:874. [PMID: 31456740 PMCID: PMC6701404 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Agoraphobia was described in 1871 as a condition of fear-related alterations in spatial orientation and locomotor control triggered by places or situations that might cause a patient to panic and feel trapped. In contemporary nosology, however, this original concept of agoraphobia was split into two diagnostic entities, i.e., the modern anxiety disorder of agoraphobia, consisting solely of phobic/avoidant symptoms in public spaces, and the recently defined vestibular disorder of persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD), characterized by dizziness, and unsteadiness exacerbated by visual motion stimuli. Previous neuroimaging studies found altered brain activity and connectivity in visual-vestibular networks of patients with PPPD vs. healthy controls. Neuroticism and introversion, which pre-dispose to both agoraphobia and PPPD, influenced brain responses to vestibular and visual motion stimuli in patients with PPPD. Similar neuroimaging studies have not been undertaken in patients with agoraphobia in its current definition. Given their shared history and pre-disposing factors, we sought to test the hypotheses that individuals with agoraphobic symptoms have alterations in visual-vestibular networks similar to those of patients with PPPD, and that these alterations are influenced by neuroticism and introversion. Methods: Drawing from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database, we matched 52 participants with sub-clinical agoraphobia and 52 control subjects without agoraphobic symptoms on 19 demographic and psychological/psychiatric variables. We then employed a graph-theoretical framework to compare resting-state functional magnetic resonance images between groups and evaluated the interactive effects of neuroticism and introversion on the brain signatures of agoraphobia. Results: Individuals with subclinical agoraphobia had lower global clustering, efficiency and transitivity relative to controls. They also had lower connectivity metrics in two brain networks, one positioned to process incoming visual space-motion information, assess threat, and initiate/inhibit behavioral responses (visuospatial-emotional network) and one positioned to control and monitor locomotion (vestibular-navigational network). Introversion interacted with agoraphobic symptoms to lower the connectivity of the visuospatial-emotional network. This contrasted with previous findings describing neuroticism-associated higher connectivity in a narrower visual-spatial-frontal network in patients with PPPD. Conclusion: Functional connectivity was lower in two brain networks in subclinical agoraphobia as compared to healthy controls. These networks integrate visual vestibular and emotional response to guide movement in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iole Indovina
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, Rome, Italy,Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy,*Correspondence: Iole Indovina
| | - Allegra Conti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy,Department of Systems Medicine and Centre of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Jeffrey P. Staab
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Luca Passamonti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom,Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Milan, Italy,Luca Passamonti
| | - 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
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28
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Mackrous I, Carriot J, Jamali M, Cullen KE. Cerebellar Prediction of the Dynamic Sensory Consequences of Gravity. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2698-2710.e4. [PMID: 31378613 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
As we go about our everyday activities, our brain computes accurate estimates of both our motion relative to the world and our orientation relative to gravity. However, how the brain then accounts for gravity as we actively move and interact with our environment is not yet known. Here, we provide evidence that, although during passive movements, individual cerebellar output neurons encode representations of head motion and orientation relative to gravity, these gravity-driven responses are cancelled when head movement is a consequence of voluntary generated movement. In contrast, the gravity-driven responses of primary otolith and semicircular canal afferents remain intact during both active and passive self-motion, indicating the attenuated responses of central neurons are not inherited from afferent inputs. Taken together, our results are consistent with the view that the cerebellum builds a dynamic prediction (e.g., internal model) of the sensory consequences of gravity during active self-motion, which in turn enables the preferential encoding of unexpected motion to ensure postural and perceptual stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Mackrous
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | - Jerome Carriot
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | - Mohsen Jamali
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | - Kathleen E Cullen
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Rm. 720, Ross Building, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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29
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Delle Monache S, Lacquaniti F, Bosco G. Ocular tracking of occluded ballistic trajectories: Effects of visual context and of target law of motion. J Vis 2019; 19:13. [PMID: 30952164 DOI: 10.1167/19.4.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In tracking a moving target, the visual context may provide cues for an observer to interpret the causal nature of the target motion and extract features to which the visual system is weakly sensitive, such as target acceleration. This information could be critical when vision of the target is temporarily impeded, requiring visual motion extrapolation processes. Here we investigated how visual context influences ocular tracking of motion either congruent or not with natural gravity. To this end, 28 subjects tracked computer-simulated ballistic trajectories either perturbed in the descending segment with altered gravity effects (0g/2g) or retaining natural-like motion (1g). Shortly after the perturbation (550 ms), targets disappeared for either 450 or 650 ms and became visible again until landing. Target motion occurred with either quasi-realistic pictorial cues or a uniform background, presented in counterbalanced order. We analyzed saccadic and pursuit movements after 0g and 2g target-motion perturbations and for corresponding intervals of unperturbed 1g trajectories, as well as after corresponding occlusions. Moreover, we considered the eye-to-target distance at target reappearance. Tracking parameters differed significantly between scenarios: With a neutral background, eye movements did not depend consistently on target motion, whereas with pictorial background they showed significant dependence, denoting better tracking of accelerated targets. These results suggest that oculomotor control is tuned to realistic properties of the visual scene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Delle Monache
- Department of Systems Medicine, Neuroscience Section, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Department of Systems Medicine, Neuroscience Section, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Bosco
- Department of Systems Medicine, Neuroscience Section, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
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30
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Torok A, Gallagher M, Lasbareilles C, Ferrè ER. Getting ready for Mars: How the brain perceives new simulated gravitational environments. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 72:2342-2349. [PMID: 30852941 DOI: 10.1177/1747021819839962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
On Earth, we are continually exposed to gravity: sensory signals are constantly integrated to form an internal model of gravity. However, it is unclear whether this internal model is fixed to Earth's gravity or whether it can be applied to a new gravitational environment. Under terrestrial gravity, observers show a "gravitational bias" while judging the speed of falling versus rising objects, as they comply with the physical laws of gravity. We investigated whether this gravitational bias may be present when judging the speed of objects moving upwards or downwards in both virtual reality (VR)-simulated Earth gravity (9.81 m/s2) and Mars gravity (3.71 m/s2). Our results highlighted a gravitational bias in both Earth and Mars VR-simulated gravity: the speed of downwards movement was more precisely detected than the speed of upwards movement. Although the internal model of gravity has been built up under terrestrial gravity, it can quickly expand to novel non-terrestrial gravitational environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Gallagher
- 2 Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
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31
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Dakin CJ, Peters A, Giunti P, Day BL. Cerebellar Degeneration Increases Visual Influence on Dynamic Estimates of Verticality. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3589-3598.e3. [PMID: 30393031 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Our perception of verticality relies on combining sensory information from multiple sources. Neuronal recordings in animals implicate the cerebellum in the process, yet disease of the human cerebellum was not found to affect this perception. Here we show that a perceptual disturbance of verticality is indeed present in people with a genetically determined and pure form of cerebellar degeneration (spinocerebellar ataxia type 6; SCA 6), but is only revealed under dynamic visual conditions. Participants were required to continuously orient a visually displayed bar to vertical while the bar angle was perturbed by a low-frequency random signal and a random dot pattern rotated in their visual periphery. The random dot pattern was rotated at one of two velocities (4°/s and 16°/s), traveling with either coherent or noisy motion. Perceived vertical was biased by visual rotation in healthy participants, particularly in a more elderly group, but SCA 6 participants were biased more than both groups. The bias was reduced by visual noise, but more so for SCA 6 participants than young controls. Distortion of verticality by visual rotation stems from the stimulus creating an illusion of self-rotation. We modeled this process using a maximum-likelihood sensory cue-combination model operating on noisy visual- and vestibular-rotation signals. The observed effects of visual rotation and visual noise could be compellingly explained by cerebellar degeneration, and to a lesser extent aging, causing an increase in central vestibular noise. This is consistent with the human cerebellum operating on dynamic vestibular signals to inform the process that estimates which way is up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Dakin
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
| | - Amy Peters
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Paola Giunti
- Ataxia Centre, Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Brian L Day
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
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32
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Sengupta S, Medendorp WP, Praamstra P, Selen LPJ. Uncertainty modulated exploration in the trade-off between sensing and acting. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199544. [PMID: 29979698 PMCID: PMC6034831 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many sensorimotor activities have a time constraint for successful completion. In this case, any time devoted to sensory processing is at the expense of time available for motor execution. Earlier studies have explored how this competition between sensory processing and motor execution is resolved by using experimental designs that segregate the sensing and acting phase of the task. It was found that participants switch from the sensing to the acting stage such that the overall (sensorimotor) uncertainty in the outcome of the task is minimized. An unexplained observation in these studies is the substantial variability in switching times. We investigated the variability in switching time by correlating it with the underlying sensorimotor uncertainty. To this end, we used a modified version of the virtual ball catching paradigm proposed by Faisal & Wolpert (2009). Subjects were instructed to catch a ball, but as soon as they initiated their movement the ball disappeared. We extended the range of horizontal velocities and used two different start positions of the ball to quantify the dependence of sensory uncertainty on ball velocity. Velocity dependence of sensory uncertainty allowed us to manipulate sensory uncertainty and hence the sensorimotor uncertainty. We found that the variability in switching times is correlated with two factors. Firstly, variability in switching times is greater when variation in switching time has only minimal effects on sensorimotor uncertainty. Secondly, variability in switching times is greater when the sensorimotor uncertainty is larger. Our results suggest that the variability in switching time reflects an uncertainty-driven exploratory process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Sengupta
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - W. Pieter Medendorp
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Praamstra
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Luc P. J. Selen
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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33
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Effenberg AO, Schmitz G. Acceleration and deceleration at constant speed: systematic modulation of motion perception by kinematic sonification. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1425:52-69. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gerd Schmitz
- Institute of Sports Science Leibniz Universität Hannover Hannover Germany
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34
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Gallagher M, Ferrè ER. The aesthetics of verticality: A gravitational contribution to aesthetic preference. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 71:2655-2664. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021817751353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Verticality plays a fundamental role in the arts, portraying concepts such as power, grandeur, or even morality; however, it is unclear whether people have an aesthetic preference for vertical stimuli. The perception of verticality occurs by integrating vestibular-gravitational input with proprioceptive signals about body posture. Thus, these signals may influence the preference for verticality. Here, we show that people have a genuine aesthetic preference for stimuli aligned with the vertical, and this preference depends on the position of the body relative to the gravitational direction. Observers rated the attractiveness of lines that varied in inclination. Perfectly vertical lines were judged to be more attractive than those inclined clockwise or anticlockwise only when participants held an upright posture. Critically, this preference was not present when their body was tilted away from the gravitational vertical. Our results showed that gravitational signals make a contribution to the perception of attractiveness of environmental objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
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35
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De Sá Teixeira NA, Kerzel D, Hecht H, Lacquaniti F. A novel dissociation between representational momentum and representational gravity through response modality. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 83:1223-1236. [PMID: 29170894 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-017-0949-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
When people are required to indicate the vanishing location of a moving object, systematic biases forward, in the direction of motion, and downward, in the direction of gravity, are usually found. Both these displacements, called representational momentum and representational gravity, respectively, are thought to reflect anticipatory internal mechanisms aiming to overcome neural delays in the perception of motion. We challenge this view. There may not be such a single mechanism. Although both representational momentum and representational gravity follow a specific time-course, compatible with an anticipation of the object's dynamics, they do not seem to be commensurable with each other, as they are differentially modulated by relevant variables, such as eye movements and strength of motion signals. We found separate response components, one related to overt motor localization behaviour and one limited to purely perceptual judgement. Representational momentum emerged only for the motor localization task, revealing a motor overshoot. In contrast, representational gravity was mostly evident for spatial perceptual judgements. We interpret the results in support of a partial dissociation in the mechanisms that give rise to representational momentum and representational gravity, with the former but not the latter strongly modulated by the enrolment of the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dirk Kerzel
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Heiko Hecht
- Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Centre of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Rome, Italy
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36
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Jörges B, López-Moliner J. Gravity as a Strong Prior: Implications for Perception and Action. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:203. [PMID: 28503140 PMCID: PMC5408029 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the future, humans are likely to be exposed to environments with altered gravity conditions, be it only visually (Virtual and Augmented Reality), or visually and bodily (space travel). As visually and bodily perceived gravity as well as an interiorized representation of earth gravity are involved in a series of tasks, such as catching, grasping, body orientation estimation and spatial inferences, humans will need to adapt to these new gravity conditions. Performance under earth gravity discrepant conditions has been shown to be relatively poor, and few studies conducted in gravity adaptation are rather discouraging. Especially in VR on earth, conflicts between bodily and visual gravity cues seem to make a full adaptation to visually perceived earth-discrepant gravities nearly impossible, and even in space, when visual and bodily cues are congruent, adaptation is extremely slow. We invoke a Bayesian framework for gravity related perceptual processes, in which earth gravity holds the status of a so called “strong prior”. As other strong priors, the gravity prior has developed through years and years of experience in an earth gravity environment. For this reason, the reliability of this representation is extremely high and overrules any sensory information to its contrary. While also other factors such as the multisensory nature of gravity perception need to be taken into account, we present the strong prior account as a unifying explanation for empirical results in gravity perception and adaptation to earth-discrepant gravities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Jörges
- Department of Cognition, Development and Psychology of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Universitat de BarcelonaCatalonia, Spain.,Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de BarcelonaCatalonia, Spain
| | - Joan López-Moliner
- Department of Cognition, Development and Psychology of Education, Faculty of Psychology, Universitat de BarcelonaCatalonia, Spain.,Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de BarcelonaCatalonia, Spain
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37
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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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38
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Lim K, Karmali F, Nicoucar K, Merfeld DM. Perceptual precision of passive body tilt is consistent with statistically optimal cue integration. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:2037-2052. [PMID: 28179477 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00073.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
When making perceptual decisions, humans have been shown to optimally integrate independent noisy multisensory information, matching maximum-likelihood (ML) limits. Such ML estimators provide a theoretic limit to perceptual precision (i.e., minimal thresholds). However, how the brain combines two interacting (i.e., not independent) sensory cues remains an open question. To study the precision achieved when combining interacting sensory signals, we measured perceptual roll tilt and roll rotation thresholds between 0 and 5 Hz in six normal human subjects. Primary results show that roll tilt thresholds between 0.2 and 0.5 Hz were significantly lower than predicted by a ML estimator that includes only vestibular contributions that do not interact. In this paper, we show how other cues (e.g., somatosensation) and an internal representation of sensory and body dynamics might independently contribute to the observed performance enhancement. In short, a Kalman filter was combined with an ML estimator to match human performance, whereas the potential contribution of nonvestibular cues was assessed using published bilateral loss patient data. Our results show that a Kalman filter model including previously proven canal-otolith interactions alone (without nonvestibular cues) can explain the observed performance enhancements as can a model that includes nonvestibular contributions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that human whole body self-motion direction-recognition thresholds measured during dynamic roll tilts were significantly lower than those predicted by a conventional maximum-likelihood weighting of the roll angular velocity and quasistatic roll tilt cues. Here, we show that two models can each match this "apparent" better-than-optimal performance: 1) inclusion of a somatosensory contribution and 2) inclusion of a dynamic sensory interaction between canal and otolith cues via a Kalman filter model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koeun Lim
- Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts; .,Program in Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology, Harvard-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Boston, Massachusetts; and
| | - Faisal Karmali
- Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts.,Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Keyvan Nicoucar
- Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts.,Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Daniel M Merfeld
- Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts.,Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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39
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De Sá Teixeira NA, Hecht H, Diaz Artiles A, Seyedmadani K, Sherwood DP, Young LR. Vestibular stimulation interferes with the dynamics of an internal representation of gravity. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2016; 70:2290-2305. [PMID: 27595305 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2016.1231828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The remembered vanishing location of a moving target has been found to be displaced downward in the direction of gravity (representational gravity) and more so with increasing retention intervals, suggesting that the visual spatial updating recruits an internal model of gravity. Despite being consistently linked with gravity, few inquiries have been made about the role of vestibular information in these trends. Previous experiments with static tilting of observers' bodies suggest that under conflicting cues between the idiotropic vector and vestibular signals, the dynamic drift in memory is reduced to a constant displacement along the body's main axis. The present experiment aims to replicate and extend these outcomes while keeping the observers' bodies unchanged in relation to physical gravity by varying the gravito-inertial acceleration using a short-radius centrifuge. Observers were shown, while accelerated to varying degrees, targets moving along several directions and were required to indicate the perceived vanishing location after a variable interval. Increases of the gravito-inertial force (up to 1.4G), orthogonal to the idiotropic vector, did not affect the direction of representational gravity, but significantly disrupted its time course. The role and functioning of an internal model of gravity for spatial perception and orientation are discussed in light of the results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heiko Hecht
- b Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , Mainz , Germany
| | - Ana Diaz Artiles
- c Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , Cornell University , Ithaca , NY , USA
| | - Kimia Seyedmadani
- d Man-Vehicle Laboratory, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA , USA
| | - David P Sherwood
- d Man-Vehicle Laboratory, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA , USA
| | - Laurence R Young
- d Man-Vehicle Laboratory, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge , MA , USA
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40
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Bringoux L, Scotto Di Cesare C, Borel L, Macaluso T, Sarlegna FR. Do Visual and Vestibular Inputs Compensate for Somatosensory Loss in the Perception of Spatial Orientation? Insights from a Deafferented Patient. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:181. [PMID: 27199704 PMCID: PMC4848302 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed at investigating the consequences of a massive loss of somatosensory inputs on the perception of spatial orientation. The occurrence of possible compensatory processes for external (i.e., object) orientation perception and self-orientation perception was examined by manipulating visual and/or vestibular cues. To that aim, we compared perceptual responses of a deafferented patient (GL) with respect to age-matched Controls in two tasks involving gravity-related judgments. In the first task, subjects had to align a visual rod with the gravitational vertical (i.e., Subjective Visual Vertical: SVV) when facing a tilted visual frame in a classic Rod-and-Frame Test. In the second task, subjects had to report whether they felt tilted when facing different visuo-postural conditions which consisted in very slow pitch tilts of the body and/or visual surroundings away from vertical. Results showed that, much more than Controls, the deafferented patient was fully dependent on spatial cues issued from the visual frame when judging the SVV. On the other hand, the deafferented patient did not rely at all on visual cues for self-tilt detection. Moreover, the patient never reported any sensation of tilt up to 18° contrary to Controls, hence showing that she did not rely on vestibular (i.e., otoliths) signals for the detection of very slow body tilts either. Overall, this study demonstrates that a massive somatosensory deficit substantially impairs the perception of spatial orientation, and that the use of the remaining sensory inputs available to a deafferented patient differs regarding whether the judgment concerns external vs. self-orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Bringoux
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287 Marseille, France
| | - Cécile Scotto Di Cesare
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287Marseille, France; Cognitive Neuroscience Department and Cognitive Interaction Technology, Center of Excellence, Bielefeld UniversityBielefeld, Germany
| | - Liliane Borel
- CNRS, LNIA UMR 7260, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Thomas Macaluso
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, ISM UMR 7287 Marseille, France
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41
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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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42
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De Sá Teixeira NA. The visual representations of motion and of gravity are functionally independent: Evidence of a differential effect of smooth pursuit eye movements. Exp Brain Res 2016; 234:2491-504. [PMID: 27106480 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-016-4654-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The memory for the final position of a moving object which suddenly disappears has been found to be displaced forward, in the direction of motion, and downwards, in the direction of gravity. These phenomena were coined, respectively, Representational Momentum and Representational Gravity. Although both these and similar effects have been systematically linked with the functioning of internal representations of physical variables (e.g. momentum and gravity), serious doubts have been raised for a cognitively based interpretation, favouring instead a major role of oculomotor and perceptual factors which, more often than not, were left uncontrolled and even ignored. The present work aims to determine the degree to which Representational Momentum and Representational Gravity are epiphenomenal to smooth pursuit eye movements. Observers were required to indicate the offset locations of targets moving along systematically varied directions after a variable imposed retention interval. Each participant completed the task twice, varying the eye movements' instructions: gaze was either constrained or left free to track the targets. A Fourier decomposition analysis of the localization responses was used to disentangle both phenomena. The results show unambiguously that constraining eye movements significantly eliminates the harmonic components which index Representational Momentum, but have no effect on Representational Gravity or its time course. The found outcomes offer promising prospects for the study of the visual representation of gravity and its neurological substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Alexandre De Sá Teixeira
- Institute of Cognitive Psychology, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo, Apartado 6153, 3001-802, Coimbra, Portugal.
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43
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Snyder J, Son AR, Hamid Q, Wu H, Sun W. Hetero-cellular prototyping by synchronized multi-material bioprinting for rotary cell culture system. Biofabrication 2016; 8:015002. [DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/8/1/015002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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44
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Subjective Visual Vertical during Caloric Stimulation in Healthy Subjects: Implications to Research and Neurorehabilitation. Rehabil Res Pract 2015; 2015:367695. [PMID: 26161271 PMCID: PMC4460243 DOI: 10.1155/2015/367695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. The subjective visual vertical (SVV) is a perception often impaired in patients with neurologic disorders and is considered a sensitive tool to detect otolithic dysfunctions. However, it remains unclear whether the semicircular canals (SCCs) are also involved in the visual vertical perception. Objective. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of horizontal SCCs on SVV by caloric stimulation in healthy subjects. Methods. SVV was performed before and during the ice-cold caloric stimulation (4°C, right ear) in 30 healthy subjects. Results. The mean SVV tilts before and during the caloric stimulation were 0.31° ± 0.39 and −0.28° ± 0.40, respectively. There was no significant difference between the mean SVV tilts before and during stimulation (p = 0.113). Conclusion. These results suggest that horizontal SCCs do not influence SVV. Therefore, investigations and rehabilitation approaches for SVV misperceptions should be focused on otolithic and cognitive strategies.
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45
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Carriot J, Jamali M, Cullen KE. Rapid adaptation of multisensory integration in vestibular pathways. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:59. [PMID: 25932009 PMCID: PMC4399207 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensing gravity is vital for our perception of spatial orientation, the control of upright posture, and generation of our everyday activities. When an astronaut transitions to microgravity or returns to earth, the vestibular input arising from self-motion will not match the brain's expectation. Our recent neurophysiological studies have provided insight into how the nervous system rapidly reorganizes when vestibular input becomes unreliable by both (1) updating its internal model of the sensory consequences of motion and (2) up-weighting more reliable extra-vestibular information. These neural strategies, in turn, are linked to improvements in sensorimotor performance (e.g., gaze and postural stability, locomotion, orienting) and perception characterized by similar time courses. We suggest that furthering our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie sensorimotor adaptation will have important implications for optimizing training programs for astronauts before and after space exploration missions and for the design of goal-oriented rehabilitation for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerome Carriot
- Department of Physiology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mohsen Jamali
- Department of Physiology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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