Contribution of somesthetic cues to the perception of body orientation and subjective visual vertical

Trousselard, Marion; Cian, Corinne; Nougier, Vincent; Pla, Simon; Raphel, Christian

doi:10.3758/bf03194843

Cited by 38 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…While this was the same arrangement as used in ground-based controls, it may be that tactile cues are more influential in space 22,23 which may have contributed to strengthening the influence of the body cue. 24 However this increase is achieved, it appears that astronauts adapt to a microgravity environment by adjusting the relative weights given to the visual and body cues, thus canceling the increase in visual influence on orientation that would be expected if the weights had retained their on-earth values. A tendency to rely more on the body cue for orientation has been seen in earlier microgravity experiments 9 but has never before been quantified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of long-term exposure to microgravity on the perception of upright

Harris

Jenkin

et al. 2017

npj Microgravity

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Going into space is a disorienting experience. Many studies have looked at sensory functioning in space but the multisensory basis of orientation has not been systematically investigated. Here, we assess how prolonged exposure to microgravity affects the relative weighting of visual, gravity, and idiotropic cues to perceived orientation. We separated visual, body, and gravity (when present) cues to perceived orientation before, during, and after long-term exposure to microgravity during the missions of seven astronauts on the International Space Station (mean duration 168 days) and measuring perceived vertical using the subjective visual vertical and the perceptual upright. The relative influence of each cue and the variance of their judgments were measured. Fourteen ground-based control participants performed comparable measurements over a similar period. The variance of astronauts’ subjective visual vertical judgments in the absence of visual cues was significantly larger immediately upon return to earth than before flight. Astronauts’ perceptual upright demonstrated a reduced reliance on visual cues upon arrival on orbit that re-appeared long after returning to earth. For earth-bound controls, the contributions of body, gravity, and vision remained constant throughout the year-long testing period. This is the first multisensory study of orientation behavior in space and the first demonstration of long-term perceptual changes that persist after returning to earth. Astronauts showed a plasticity in the weighting of perceptual cues to orientation that could form the basis for future countermeasures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of long-term exposure to microgravity on the perception of upright

Harris

Jenkin

et al. 2017

npj Microgravity

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“…This effect seems to be less apparent in the sitting condition. These findings suggest that hEDS is associated with changes in the neural processing of somatosensory inputs, which could in turn alter judgment of the SVV (Trousselard et al, 2003). Moreover, one can speculate that, as previously observed in stroke patients, this specific alteration of verticality perception in the standing condition could be associated with postural instability in hEDS patients, and especially with lower limb asymmetry (Bonan et al, 2006, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type: Impact of Somatosensory Orthoses on Postural Control (A Pilot Study)

Dupuy

Leconte

Vlamynck

et al. 2017

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Elhers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is the clinical manifestation of connective tissue disorders, and comprises several clinical forms with no specific symptoms and selective medical examinations which result in a delay in diagnosis of about 10 years. The EDS hypermobility type (hEDS) is characterized by generalized joint hypermobility, variable skin hyperextensibility and impaired proprioception. Since somatosensory processing and multisensory integration are crucial for both perception and action, we put forth the hypothesis that somatosensory deficits in hEDS patients may lead, among other clinical symptoms, to misperception of verticality and postural instability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to assess the impact of somatosensory deficit on subjective visual vertical (SVV) and postural stability; and (ii) to quantify the effect of wearing somatosensory orthoses (i.e., compressive garments and insoles) on postural stability. Six hEDS patients and six age- and gender-matched controls underwent a SVV (sitting, standing, lying on the right side) evaluation and a postural control evaluation on a force platform (Synapsys), with or without visual information (eyes open (EO)/eyes closed (EC)). These two latter conditions performed either without orthoses, or with compression garments (CG), or insoles, or both. Results showed that patients did not exhibit a substantial perceived tilt of the visual vertical in the direction of the body tilt (Aubert effect) as did the control subjects. Interestingly, such differential effects were only apparent when the rod was initially positioned to the left of the vertical axis (opposite the longitudinal body axis). In addition, patients showed greater postural instability (sway area) than the controls. The removal of vision exacerbated this instability, especially in the mediolateral (ML) direction. The wearing of orthoses improved postural stability, especially in the eyes-closed condition, with a particularly marked effect in the anteroposterior (AP) direction. Hence, this study suggests that hEDS is associated with changes in the relative contributions of somatosensory and vestibular inputs to verticality perception. Moreover, postural control impairment was offset, at least partially, by wearing somatosensory orthoses.

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“…Adjustment of such indicators is known to be based on centrally weighted fusion of visual, vestibular, and egocentric references (4), thus enabling a healthy person in an upright position to align an indicator accurately (T0.5 degrees) with the direction of gravity (12). This integration of available sensory information is an adaptive process referred to as "sensory reweighting" (19).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception Threshold for Tilt

Janssen¹,

Lauvenberg²,

Ven³

et al. 2011

Otology &Amp; Neurotology

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The aim of this study was to determine the thresholds for perception of tilt and translation using 3 motion/tilt profile paradigms. Healthy subjects were submitted to the following: 1) unilateral and bilateral eccentric rotations (centrifugation), 2) whole body translatory decelerations opposite to the movement direction while seated on a linear sled, and 3) discrete slow velocity platform tilts. Subjects were instructed to verbally indicate the perceived direction of tilt or translation. Fifteen healthy subjects (12 male and 3 female subjects, 18-31 yr) without any history or evidence of any ophthalmologic or neuro-otologic disorder participated in this study. Our results from unilateral centrifugation indicate a threshold for body tilt perception of approximately 2 degrees with a substantial interindividual range (1.9-5.6 degrees, 52% interindividual and 34% intraindividual variability), which, to our interpretation, mainly depends on otolithic function. Tilt perception during whole body decelerations and discrete platform tilts mainly depends on somatosensory information, showing the dominant role of the somatosensory system for the perception of body orientation. Thus, tilt sensations during eccentric rotations seems to be a promising tool for the evaluation of utricular dysfunction.

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Contribution of somesthetic cues to the perception of body orientation and subjective visual vertical

Cited by 38 publications

References 27 publications

The effect of long-term exposure to microgravity on the perception of upright

The effect of long-term exposure to microgravity on the perception of upright

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Type: Impact of Somatosensory Orthoses on Postural Control (A Pilot Study)

Perception Threshold for Tilt

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