Vestibular–Podokinetic interaction without vestibular perception

2005 ◽  
Vol 167 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Melvill Jones ◽  
W. A. Fletcher ◽  
K. D. Weber ◽  
E. W. Block
2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Scinicariello ◽  
J. Timothy Inglis ◽  
J.J. Collins

Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a technique in which small currents are delivered transcutaneously to the afferent nerve endings of the vestibular system through electrodes placed over the mastoid bones. The applied current alters the firing rates of the peripheral vestibular afferents, causing a shift in a standing subject's vestibular perception and a corresponding postural sway. Previously, we showed that in subjects who are facing forward, stochastic bipolar binaural GVS leads to coherent stochastic mediolateral postural sway. The goal of this pilot study was to extend that work and to test the hypothesis that in subjects who are facing forward, stochastic monopolar binaural GVS leads to coherent stochastic anteroposterior postural sway. Stochastic monopolar binaural GVS was applied to ten healthy young subjects. Twenty-four trials, each containing a different galvanic input stimulus from among eight different frequency ranges, were conducted on each subject. Postural sway was evaluated through analysis of the center-of-pressure (COP) displacements under each subject's feet. Spectral analysis was performed on the galvanic stimuli and the COP displacement time series to calculate the coherence spectra. Significant coherence was found between the galvanic input signal and the anteroposterior COP displacement in some of the trials (i.e., at least one) in nine of the ten subjects. In general, the coherence values were highest for the mid-range frequencies that were tested, and lowest for the low- and high-range frequencies. However, the coherence values we obtained were lower than those we previously reported for stochastic bipolar binaural GVS and mediolateral sway. These differences may be due to fundamental characteristics of the vestibular system such as lower sensitivity to symmetric changes in afferent firing dynamics, and/or differences between the biomechanics of anteroposterior and mediolateral sway.


2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Merfeld ◽  
Sukyung Park ◽  
Claire Gianna-Poulin ◽  
F. Owen Black ◽  
Scott Wood

II. VOR and perceptual responses during combined Tilt&Translation. To compare and contrast the neural mechanisms that contribute to vestibular perception and action, we measured vestibuloocular reflexes (VOR) and perceptions of tilt and translation. We took advantage of the well-known ambiguity that the otolith organs respond to both linear acceleration and tilt with respect to gravity and investigated the mechanisms by which this ambiguity is resolved. A new motion paradigm that combined roll tilt with inter-aural translation (“ Tilt&Translation”) was used; subjects were sinusoidally (0.8 Hz) roll tilted but with their ears above or below the rotation axis. This paradigm provided sinusoidal roll canal cues that were the same across trials while providing otolith cues that varied linearly with ear position relative to the earth-horizontal rotation axis. We found that perceived tilt and translation depended on canal cues, with substantial roll tilt and inter-aural translation perceptions reported even when the otolith organs measured no inter-aural force. These findings match internal model predictions that rotational cues from the canals influence the neural processing of otolith cues. We also found horizontal translational VORs that varied linearly with radius; a minimal response was measured when the otolith organs transduced little or no inter-aural force. Hence, the horizontal translational VOR was dependent on otolith cues but independent of canal cues. These findings match predictions that translational VORs are elicited by simple filtering of otolith signals. We conclude that internal models govern human perception of tilt and translation at 0.8 Hz and that high-pass filtering governs the human translational VOR at this same frequency.


Author(s):  
Luigi F. Cuturi ◽  
Diego Torazza ◽  
Claudio Campus ◽  
Andrea Merello ◽  
Claudio Lorini ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 461 ◽  
pp. 570-576
Author(s):  
Lei Shang ◽  
Wen Bo Wang ◽  
Ting Ting Liu ◽  
Lei Cai ◽  
Hao Wang ◽  
...  

The study of vestibule neurons specific firing mode of Gekko gecko under stimulus of different angles and rotating speeds has an important theoretical significance to reveal the control mechanism of Gekko geckos vestibular position as well as to the development of gecko-robots. A vari-angle rotating equipment was made to give different stimulus in study of Gekko geckos vestibular electrophysiology. The equipment mainly consisted of four parts as follows: fastening panel for stereotaxic instrument, shaft locking device, counterweight, driving system. The shaft locking device and counterweight realized tight fixation and torque equilibrium at different angles respectively. Fastening panel matched the general stereotaxic instrument. A stepper motor driver controlled the velocity and acceleration of rotation. Initial experiment verified that the equipment had superiority of easy operation, reliable positioning and accurate control of angle and speed, which indicated that it could meet the demand of the Gekko geckos vestibule research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaeem Hadi ◽  
Yuscah Pondeca ◽  
Elena Calzolari ◽  
Mariya Chepisheva ◽  
Rebecca M Smith ◽  
...  

AbstractActivation of the peripheral vestibular apparatus simultaneously elicits a reflex vestibular nystagmus and the vestibular perception of self-motion (vestibular-motion perception) or vertigo. In a newly characterised condition called Vestibular Agnosia found in conditions with disrupted brain network connectivity, e.g. traumatic brain injury (TBI) or neurodegeneration (Parkinson’s Disease), the link between vestibular reflex and perception is uncoupled, such that, peripheral vestibular activation elicits a vestibular ocular reflex nystagmus but without vertigo. Using structural brain imaging in acute traumatic brain injury, we recently linked vestibular agnosia to postural imbalance via disrupted right temporal white-matter circuits (inferior longitudinal fasciculus), however no white-matter tracts were specifically linked to vestibular agnosia. Given the relative difficulty in localizing the neuroanatomical correlates of vestibular-motion perception, and compatible with current theories of human consciousness (viz. the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory), we postulate that vestibular-motion perception (vertigo) is mediated by the coordinated interplay between fronto-parietal circuits linked to whole-brain broadcasting of the vestibular signal of self-motion. We thus used resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) to map functional brain networks and hence test our postulate of an anterior-posterior cortical network mediating vestibular agnosia. Whole-brain rsfMRI was acquired from 39 prospectively recruited acute TBI patients (and 37 matched controls) with preserved peripheral and reflex vestibular function, along with self-motion perceptual thresholds during passive yaw rotations in the dark, and posturography. Following quality control of the brain imaging, 25 TBI patients’ images were analyzed. We classified 11 TBI patients with vestibular agnosia and 14 without vestibular agnosia based on laboratory testing of self-motion perception. Using independent component analysis, we found altered functional connectivity within posterior (right superior longitudinal fasciculus) and anterior networks (left rostral prefrontal cortex) in vestibular agnosia. Regions of interest analyses showed both inter-hemispheric and intra-hemispheric (left anterior-posterior) network disruption in vestibular agnosia. Assessing the brain regions linked via right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, a tract linked to vestibular agnosia in unbalanced patients (but now controlled for postural imbalance), seed-based analyses showed altered connectivity between higher order visual cortices involved in motion perception and mid-temporal regions. In conclusion, vestibular agnosia in our patient group is mediated by multiple brain network dysfunction, involving primarily left frontal and bilateral posterior networks. Understanding the brain mechanisms of vestibular agnosia provide both an insight into the physiological mechanisms of vestibular perception as well as an opportunity to diagnose and monitor vestibular cognitive deficits in brain disease such as TBI and neurodegeneration linked to imbalance and spatial disorientation.


Neuroscience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 441 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Aram Keywan ◽  
Haike Dietrich ◽  
Max Wuehr

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Alex K. Malone ◽  
Nai-Yuan N. Chang ◽  
Timothy E. Hullar

Falls are one of the leading causes of disability in the elderly. Previous research has shown that falls may be related to changes in the temporal integration of multisensory stimuli. This study compared the temporal integration and processing of a vestibular and auditory stimulus in younger and older subjects. The vestibular stimulus consisted of a continuous sinusoidal rotational velocity delivered using a rotational chair and the auditory stimulus consisted of 5 ms of white noise presented dichotically through headphones (both at 0.5 Hz). Simultaneity was defined as perceiving the chair being at its furthest rightward or leftward trajectory at the same moment as the auditory stimulus was perceived in the contralateral ear. The temporal offset of the auditory stimulus was adjusted using a method of constant stimuli so that the auditory stimulus either led or lagged true simultaneity. 15 younger (ages 21–27) and 12 older (ages 63–89) healthy subjects were tested using a two alternative forced choice task to determine at what times they perceived the two stimuli as simultaneous. Younger subjects had a mean temporal binding window of 334 ± 37 ms (mean ± SEM) and a mean point of subjective simultaneity of 83 ± 15 ms. Older subjects had a mean TBW of 556 ± 36 ms and a mean point of subjective simultaneity of 158 ± 27. Both differences were significant indicating that older subjects have a wider temporal range over which they integrate vestibular and auditory stimuli than younger subjects. These findings were consistent upon retesting and were not due to differences in vestibular perception thresholds.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma J. Woo ◽  
Gunter P. Siegmund ◽  
Christopher W. Reilly ◽  
Jean-Sébastien Blouin

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