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Liu B, Shan J, Gu Y. Temporal and spatial properties of vestibular signals for perception of self-motion. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1266513. [PMID: 37780704 PMCID: PMC10534010 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1266513] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well recognized that the vestibular system is involved in numerous important cognitive functions, including self-motion perception, spatial orientation, locomotion, and vector-based navigation, in addition to basic reflexes, such as oculomotor or body postural control. Consistent with this rationale, vestibular signals exist broadly in the brain, including several regions of the cerebral cortex, potentially allowing tight coordination with other sensory systems to improve the accuracy and precision of perception or action during self-motion. Recent neurophysiological studies in animal models based on single-cell resolution indicate that vestibular signals exhibit complex spatiotemporal dynamics, producing challenges in identifying their exact functions and how they are integrated with other modality signals. For example, vestibular and optic flow could provide congruent and incongruent signals regarding spatial tuning functions, reference frames, and temporal dynamics. Comprehensive studies, including behavioral tasks, neural recording across sensory and sensory-motor association areas, and causal link manipulations, have provided some insights into the neural mechanisms underlying multisensory self-motion perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyu Liu
- Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Neuroscience, International Center for Primate Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayu Shan
- Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Neuroscience, International Center for Primate Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Gu
- Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Neuroscience, International Center for Primate Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Pleshkov M, Rondas N, Lucieer F, van Stiphout L, Janssen M, Guinand N, Perez-Fornos A, Demkin V, van Rompaey V, Kingma H, van de Berg R. Reported thresholds of self-motion perception are influenced by testing paradigm. J Neurol 2022; 269:5755-5761. [PMID: 35294617 PMCID: PMC9553771 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11032-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Different testing paradigms have been proposed to investigate perceptual self-motion thresholds. They can differ regarding the amount of possible motions that patients have to choose from. Objective of this study was to compare the two-option paradigm and twelve-option paradigm, to investigate whether reducing the choice options significantly influences the reported thresholds of self-motion perception of healthy subjects. METHODS Thirty-three volunteers with no prior vestibular complaints were included and sequentially tested with both paradigms at a random sequence. Perceptual self-motion thresholds were measured using a hydraulic motion platform in the absence of external visual and auditory cues. The platform delivered twelve different movements: six translations and six rotations. Each subject had to report the correct type and direction of movements. Thresholds were determined by a double confirmation of the lowest threshold, in combination with a double rejection of the one-step lower stimulus. Perceptual self-motion thresholds of both paradigms were compared using the mixed model analysis. RESULTS The twelve-option paradigm showed significantly higher reported thresholds for yaw rotations and translations left, right and down (p < 0.001), compared to the two-option paradigm. No statistical difference was found for rolls and translations up. No significant gender effect, learning effect and carry-over effect were present in any of the applied motion directions. CONCLUSION Reported thresholds of self-motion perception of healthy subjects are influenced by the testing paradigm. The twelve-option paradigm showed significantly higher thresholds than the two-option paradigm. Results obtained with each testing paradigm should, therefore, be compared to paradigm-specific normative data.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Pleshkov
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Physics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - N. Rondas
- Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - F. Lucieer
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - L. van Stiphout
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - M. Janssen
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
- School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Department of Methodology and Statistics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - N. Guinand
- Service of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - A. Perez-Fornos
- Service of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - V. Demkin
- Faculty of Physics, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - V. van Rompaey
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Antwerp University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - H. Kingma
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - R. van de Berg
- Division of Balance Disorders, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ET Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Adaptive perceptual responses to asymmetric rotation for testing otolithic function. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2017-2025. [PMID: 35716191 PMCID: PMC9288376 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06393-9] [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: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to test the role of the otolithic system in self-motion perception by examining adaptive responses to asymmetric off-axis vertical rotation. Self-movement perception was examined after a conditioning procedure consisting of prolonged asymmetric sinusoidal yaw rotation of the head on a stationary body with hemicycle faster than the other hemicycle. This asymmetric velocity rotation results in a cumulative error in spatial self-motion perception in the upright position that persists over time. Head yaw rotation conditioning was performed in different head positions: in the upright position to activate semicircular canals and in the supine and prone positions to activate both semicircular canals and otoliths with the phase of otolithic stimulation reversed with respect to activation of the semicircular canals. The asymmetric conditioning influenced the cumulative error induced by four asymmetric cycles of whole-body vertical axis yaw rotation. The magnitude of this error depended on the orientation of the head during the conditioning. The error increased by 50% after upright position conditioning, by 100% in the supine position, and decreased by 30% in the prone position. The enhancement and reduction of the perceptual error are attributed to otolithic modulation because of gravity influence of the otoliths during the conditioning procedure in supine and prone positions. These findings indicate that asymmetric velocity otolithic activation induces adaptive perceptual errors such as those induced by semicircular canals alone, and this adaptation may be useful in testing dynamic otolithic perceptual responses under different conditions of vestibular dysfunction.
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Diaz-Artiles A, Karmali F. Vestibular Precision at the Level of Perception, Eye Movements, Posture, and Neurons. Neuroscience 2021; 468:282-320. [PMID: 34087393 PMCID: PMC9188304 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Precision and accuracy are two fundamental properties of any system, including the nervous system. Reduced precision (i.e., imprecision) results from the presence of neural noise at each level of sensory, motor, and perceptual processing. This review has three objectives: (1) to show the importance of studying vestibular precision, and specifically that studying accuracy without studying precision ignores fundamental aspects of the vestibular system; (2) to synthesize key hypotheses about precision in vestibular perception, the vestibulo-ocular reflex, posture, and neurons; and (3) to show that groups of studies that are thoughts to be distinct (e.g., perceptual thresholds, subjective visual vertical variability, neuronal variability) are actually "two sides of the same coin" - because the methods used allow results to be related to the standard deviation of a Gaussian distribution describing the underlying neural noise. Vestibular precision varies with age, stimulus amplitude, stimulus frequency, body orientation, motion direction, pathology, medication, and electrical/mechanical vestibular stimulation, but does not vary with sex. The brain optimizes precision during integration of vestibular cues with visual, auditory, and/or somatosensory cues. Since a common concern with precision metrics is time required for testing, we describe approaches to optimize data collection and provide evidence that fatigue and session effects are minimal. Finally, we summarize how precision is an individual trait that is correlated with clinical outcomes in patients as well as with performance in functional tasks like balance. These findings highlight the importance of studying vestibular precision and accuracy, and that knowledge gaps remain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Diaz-Artiles
- Bioastronautics and Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Department of Health and Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3141, USA. https://bhp.engr.tamu.edu
| | - Faisal Karmali
- Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA.
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Goyens J. Modelling shows that stimulation of the semicircular canals depends on the rotation centre. Hear Res 2020; 396:108071. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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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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Crane BT. Perception of combined translation and rotation in the horizontal plane in humans. J Neurophysiol 2016; 116:1275-85. [PMID: 27334952 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00322.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Thresholds and biases of human motion perception were determined for yaw rotation and sway (left-right) and surge (fore-aft) translation, independently and in combination. Stimuli were 1 Hz sinusoid in acceleration with a peak velocity of 14°/s or cm/s. Test stimuli were adjusted based on prior responses, whereas the distracting stimulus was constant. Seventeen human subjects between the ages of 20 and 83 completed the experiments and were divided into 2 groups: younger and older than 50. Both sway and surge translation thresholds significantly increased when combined with yaw rotation. Rotation thresholds were not significantly increased by the presence of translation. The presence of a yaw distractor significantly biased perception of sway translation, such that during 14°/s leftward rotation, the point of subjective equality (PSE) occurred with sway of 3.2 ± 0.7 (mean ± SE) cm/s to the right. Likewise, during 14°/s rightward motion, the PSE was with sway of 2.9 ± 0.7 cm/s to the left. A sway distractor did not bias rotation perception. When subjects were asked to report the direction of translation while varying the axis of yaw rotation, the PSE at which translation was equally likely to be perceived in either direction was 29 ± 11 cm anterior to the midline. These results demonstrated that rotation biased translation perception, such that it is minimized when rotating about an axis anterior to the head. Since the combination of translation and rotation during ambulation is consistent with an axis anterior to the head, this may reflect a mechanism by which movements outside the pattern that occurs during ambulation are perceived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Crane
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York; and Department of Bioengineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
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Nash CJ, Cole DJ, Bigler RS. A review of human sensory dynamics for application to models of driver steering and speed control. BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2016; 110:91-116. [PMID: 27086133 PMCID: PMC4903114 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-016-0682-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In comparison with the high level of knowledge about vehicle dynamics which exists nowadays, the role of the driver in the driver-vehicle system is still relatively poorly understood. A large variety of driver models exist for various applications; however, few of them take account of the driver's sensory dynamics, and those that do are limited in their scope and accuracy. A review of the literature has been carried out to consolidate information from previous studies which may be useful when incorporating human sensory systems into the design of a driver model. This includes information on sensory dynamics, delays, thresholds and integration of multiple sensory stimuli. This review should provide a basis for further study into sensory perception during driving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Nash
- Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ UK
| | - David J. Cole
- Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ UK
| | - Robert S. Bigler
- Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ UK
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