Thresholds for the perception of whole-body linear sinusoidal motionin the horizontal plane

Author(s):  
ROBERT MAH ◽  
LAURENCE YOUNG ◽  
CHARLES STEELE ◽  
EARL SCHUBERT
Keyword(s):  
2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 2533-2545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Marlinski ◽  
Robert A. McCrea

The firing behavior of 107 vestibular-sensitive neurons in the ventroposterior thalamus was studied in two alert squirrel monkeys during whole body rotation and translation in the horizontal plane. Vestibular-sensitive neurons were distributed primarily along the anterior and posterior borders of ventroposterior nuclei; three clusters of these neurons could be distinguished based on their location and inputs. Eighty-four neurons responded to rotation; 66 (78%) of them responded to rotation only and 18 (22%) to both rotation and translation. Forty-one neurons were sensitive to linear translation; 23 (56%) of them responded to translation only. The population rotational response to 0.5-Hz sinusoids with a peak velocity of 40°/s showed a gain of 0.23 ± 0.15 spike·s−1·deg−1·s−1 and phase lagging behind the angular velocity by −9.3 ± 34.1°. Although rotational response amplitude increased with the stimulus velocity across the range 4–100°/s, the rotational sensitivity decreased with and was inversely proportional to the stimulus velocity. The rotational response amplitude and sensitivity increased with the stimulus frequency across the range 0.2–4.0 Hz. The population response to sinusoidal translation at 0.5 Hz and 0.1 g amplitude had a gain of 111.3 ± 53.7 spikes·s−1· g−1 and lagged behind stimulus acceleration by −71.9 ± 42.6°. Translational sensitivity decreased as acceleration increased and this was inversely proportional to the square root of the acceleration. Results of this study imply that changes in the discharge rate of vestibular-sensitive thalamic neurons can be approximated using power functions of the angular and linear velocity of spatial motion.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 855-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. I. Perlmutter ◽  
Y. Iwamoto ◽  
J. F. Baker ◽  
B. W. Peterson

The responses of vestibulospinal neurons to 0.5-Hz, whole-body rotations in three-dimensional space and static tilts of whole-body position were studied in decerebrate and alert cats. The neurons’ spatial properties for earth-vertical rotations were characterized by maximum and minimum sensitivity vectors ( R max and R min) in the cat’s horizontal plane. The orientation of a neuron’s R max was not consistently related to the orientation of its maximum sensitivity vector for static tilts ( T max). The angular difference between R max and T max was widely distributed between 0° and 150°, and R max and T max were aligned (i.e., within 45° of each other) for only 44% (14/32) of the neurons. The alignment of R max and T max was not correlated with the neuron’s sensitivity to earth-horizontal rotations, or to the orientation of R max in the horizontal plane. In addition, the extent to which a neuron exhibited spatiotemporal convergent (STC) behavior in response to vertical rotations was independent of the angular difference between R max and T max. This suggests that the high incidence of STC responses in our sample (56%) reflects not only canal-otolith convergence, but also the presence of static and dynamic otolith inputs with misaligned directionality. The responses of vestibulospinal neurons reflect a complex combination of static and dynamic vestibular inputs that may be required by postural reflexes that vary depending on head, trunk, and limb orientation, or on the frequency of stimulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Alcantara-Thome ◽  
José A. Miguel-Puga ◽  
Kathrine Jauregui-Renaud

Few studies have evaluated the influence of idiosyncrasies that may influence the judgment of space-time orientation after passive motion. We designed a study to assess the influence of anxiety/depression (which may distort time perception), motion sickness susceptibility (which has been related to vestibular function, disorientation, and to the velocity storage mechanism), and personal habits on the ability to update orientation, after passive rotations in the horizontal plane. Eighty-one healthy adults (22–64 years old) accepted to participate. After they completed an in-house general health/habits questionnaire, the short Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, they were exposed to 10 manually driven whole-body rotations (45°, 90°, or 135°), in a square room, with distinctive features on the walls, while seated in the normal upright position, unrestrained, with noise-attenuating headphones and blindfolded. After each rotation, they were asked to report which wall or corner they were facing. To calculate the error of estimation of orientation, the perceived rotation was subtracted from the actual rotation. Multivariate analysis showed that the estimation error of the first rotation was strongly related to the results of the orientation test. The magnitude and the frequency of estimation errors of orientation were independently related to HADS anxiety sub-score and to adult motion sickness susceptibility, with no influence of age, but a contribution from the interaction of the use of spectacles, the quality of sleep and sex. The results suggest that idiosyncrasies may contribute to the space-time estimation of passive self-motion, with influence from emotional traits, adult motion sickness susceptibility, experience, and possibly sleep quality.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 2958-2964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Glasauer ◽  
Thomas Brandt

After whole body rotations around an earth-vertical axis in darkness, subjects can indicate their orientation in space with respect to their initial orientation reasonably well. This is possible because the brain is able to mathematically integrate self-velocity information provided by the vestibular system to obtain self-orientation, a process called path integration. For rotations around multiple axes, however, computations are more demanding to accurately update self-orientation with respect to space. In such a case, simple integration is no longer sufficient because of the noncommutativity of rotations. We investigated whether such updating is possible after three-dimensional whole body rotations and whether the noncommutativity of three-dimensional rotations is taken into account. The ability of ten subjects to indicate their spatial orientation in the earth-horizontal plane was tested after different rotational paths from upright to supine positions. Initial and final orientations of the subjects were the same in all cases, but the paths taken were different, and so were the angular velocities sensed by the vestibular system. The results show that seven of the ten subjects could consistently indicate their final orientation within the earth-horizontal plane. Thus perceived final orientation was independent of the path taken, i.e., the noncommutativity of rotations was taken into account.


1988 ◽  
Vol 62 (01) ◽  
pp. 126-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas S. Jones ◽  
Roger W. Portell

Whole body asteroid fossils are rare in the geologic record and previously unreported from the Cenozoic of Florida. However, specimens of the extant species,Heliaster microbrachiusXantus, were recently discovered in upper Pliocene deposits. This marks the first reported fossil occurrence of the monogeneric Heliasteridae, a group today confined to the eastern Pacific. This discovery provides further non-molluscan evidence of the close similarities between the Neogene marine fauna of Florida and the modern fauna of the eastern Pacific. The extinction of the heliasters in the western Atlantic is consistent with the pattern of many other marine groups in the region which suffered impoverishment following uplift of the Central American isthmus.


Author(s):  
R.F. Dodson ◽  
L.W-F Chu ◽  
N. Ishihara

The extent of damage surrounding an implanted electrode in the cerebral cortex is a question of significant importance with regard to attaining consistency and validity of physiological recordings. In order to determine the extent of such tissue changes, 150 micron diameter platinum electrodes were implanted in the cortex of four adult baboons, and after eight days the animals were sacrificed by whole body perfusion with a 3% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M phosphate fixative.The calvarium was carefully removed and the electrode tracts were readily discernible in the firm, glutaraldehyde fixed tissue.Careful dissection of the zone of the electrode tract resulted in a small block which was further sectioned into tip, mid-tract and surface areas. Ultrastructurally, damage extended from the electrode sheath to the greatest extent of from 0.2 to 3.5 mm.


Author(s):  
J. Hanker ◽  
B. Giammara ◽  
G. Strauss

Only a fraction of the UV radiation emitted by the sun reaches the earth; most of the UVB (290-320nm) is eliminated by stratospheric ozone. There is increasing concern, however, that man-made chemicals are damaging this ozone layer. Although the effects of UV on DNA or as a carcinogen are widely known, preleukemia and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have only rarely been reported in psoriasis patients treated with 8-methoxypsoralen and UV (PUVA). It was therefore of interest to study the effects of UV on the myeloperoxidase (MP) activity of human neutrophils. The peroxidase activity of enriched leukocyte preparations on coverslips was shown cytochemically with a diaminobenzidine medium and cupric nitrate intensification.Control samples (Figs. 1,4,5) of human bloods that were not specifically exposed to UV radiation or light except during routine handling were compared with samples which had been exposed in one of several different ways. One preparation (Fig. 2) was from a psoriasis patient who had received whole-body UVB phototherapy repeatedly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (22) ◽  
pp. 2317-2327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolás Gómez-Banoy ◽  
James C. Lo

Abstract The growing prevalence of obesity and its related metabolic diseases, mainly Type 2 diabetes (T2D), has increased the interest in adipose tissue (AT) and its role as a principal metabolic orchestrator. Two decades of research have now shown that ATs act as an endocrine organ, secreting soluble factors termed adipocytokines or adipokines. These adipokines play crucial roles in whole-body metabolism with different mechanisms of action largely dependent on the tissue or cell type they are acting on. The pancreatic β cell, a key regulator of glucose metabolism due to its ability to produce and secrete insulin, has been identified as a target for several adipokines. This review will focus on how adipokines affect pancreatic β cell function and their impact on pancreatic β cell survival in disease contexts such as diabetes. Initially, the “classic” adipokines will be discussed, followed by novel secreted adipocyte-specific factors that show therapeutic promise in regulating the adipose–pancreatic β cell axis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (8) ◽  
pp. 2597-2608
Author(s):  
Emily N. Snell ◽  
Laura W. Plexico ◽  
Aurora J. Weaver ◽  
Mary J. Sandage

Purpose The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify a vocal task that could be used as a clinical indicator of the vocal aptitude or vocal fitness required for vocally demanding occupations in a manner similar to that of the anaerobic power tests commonly used in exercise science. Performance outcomes for vocal tasks that require rapid acceleration and high force production may be useful as an indirect indicator of muscle fiber complement and bioenergetic fitness of the larynx, an organ that is difficult to study directly. Method Sixteen women (age range: 19–24 years, M age = 22 years) were consented for participation and completed the following performance measures: forced vital capacity, three adapted vocal function tasks, and the horizontal sprint test. Results Using a within-participant correlational analyses, results indicated a positive relationship between the rate of the last second of a laryngeal diadochokinesis task that was produced at a high fundamental frequency/high sound level and anaerobic power. Forced vital capacity was not correlated with any of the vocal function tasks. Conclusions These preliminary results indicate that aspects of the laryngeal diadochokinesis task produced at a high fundamental frequency and high sound level may be useful as an ecologically valid measure of vocal power ability. Quantification of vocal power ability may be useful as a vocal fitness assessment or as an outcome measure for voice rehabilitation and habilitation for patients with vocally demanding jobs.


1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Glenn Pransky

Abstract According to the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) measures an individual's physical abilities via a set of activities in a structured setting and provides objective data about the relationship between an impairment and maximal ability to perform work activities. A key distinction between FCEs and self-reported activities of daily living is that the former involve direct observation by professional evaluators. Numerous devices can quantify the physical function of a specific part of the musculoskeletal system but do not address the performance of whole body tasks in the workplace, and these devices have not been shown to predict accurately the ability to perform all but the simplest job tasks. Information about reliability has been proposed as a way to identify magnification and malingering, but variability due to pain and poor comprehension of instructions may cause variations in assessments. Structured work capacity evaluations involve a set of activities but likely underestimate the individual's ability to do jobs that involve complex or varying activities. Job simulations involve direct observation of an individual performing actual job tasks, require a skilled and experienced evaluator, and raise questions about expense, time, objectivity and validity of results, and interpretation of results in terms of the ability to perform specific jobs. To understand the barriers to return to work, examiners must supplement FCEs with information regarding workplace environment, accommodations, and demotivators.


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