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Self-motion direction discrimination in the visually impaired

Moser, Ivan ; Grabherr, Luzia ; Hartmann, Matthias ; Mast, Fred

In: Experimental Brain Research, 2015, vol. 233, no. 11, p. 3221-3230

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    Titre
    • Self-motion direction discrimination in the visually impaired
    Auteur
    • Moser, Ivan. Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Grabherr, Luzia. Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, 5001, Adelaide, SA, Australia
    • Hartmann, Matthias. Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    • Mast, Fred. Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Fabrikstrasse 8, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Anglais
    Publié dans
    • Experimental Brain Research, 2015, vol. 233, no. 11, p. 3221-3230. Springer Berlin Heidelberg
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:332769
    Summary
    Despite the close interrelation between vestibular and visual processing (e.g., vestibulo-ocular reflex), surprisingly little is known about vestibular function in visually impaired people. In this study, we investigated thresholds of passive whole-body motion discrimination (leftward vs. rightward) in nine visually impaired participants and nine age-matched sighted controls. Participants were rotated in yaw, tilted in roll, and translated along the interaural axis at two different frequencies (0.33 and 2Hz) by means of a motion platform. Superior performance of visually impaired participants was found in the 0.33Hz roll tilt condition. No differences were observed in the other motion conditions. Roll tilts stimulate the semicircular canals and otoliths simultaneously. The results could thus reflect a specific improvement in canal-otolith integration in the visually impaired and are consistent with the compensatory hypothesis, which implies that the visually impaired are able to compensate the absence of visual input.