Eye eccentricity modifies the perception of whole-body rotation

In order to explore the effect of gaze orientation on whole-body rotation perception, ten healthy participants were rotated in the dark while fixating on a visual target located either straight ahead or 15° to the right. A vestibular-memory contingent saccade paradigm was used to estimate the rotati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental brain research 2009-06, Vol.196 (2), p.295-301
Main Authors: Quarck, Gaelle, Lhuisset, Lena, Etard, Olivier, Denise, Pierre
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Analysis of Variance Darkness Female Fixation, Ocular Humans Linear Models Male Motion Orientation Perception Psychophysics Rotation Young Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Calibration
Cognitive science
Cognitive Sciences
Darkness
Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision
Eye movements
Female
Fixation, Ocular
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Life Sciences
Light emitting diodes
Linear Models
Male
Motion
Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration
Neurology
Neurons and Cognition
Neurosciences
Orientation
Perception
Psychology
Psychophysics
Research Note
Rotation
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
Young Adult
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Summary:In order to explore the effect of gaze orientation on whole-body rotation perception, ten healthy participants were rotated in the dark while fixating on a visual target located either straight ahead or 15° to the right. A vestibular-memory contingent saccade paradigm was used to estimate the rotation perception. The results attest to the participants’ ability to accurately perceive their rotation, based solely on the intrinsic inputs (somesthetic and mainly vestibular), since the correlation between the imposed body rotation and the saccade amplitude was significant and positive. However, the rotation perception was less accurate and of lesser magnitude when the gaze was deviated in the opposite direction to the rotation than when it was either straight ahead or deviated in the direction of the rotation. This can be interpreted as the perceptual equivalent of Alexander’s law.
ISSN:0014-4819
1432-1106
DOI:10.1007/s00221-009-1828-z