Dynamic Cyclovergence During Vertical Translation in Humans

Overview

Journal J Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2011 Jul 8

PMID 21734290

Citations 1

Authors

Itsaso Olasagasti

Christopher J Bockisch

David S Zee

Dominik Straumann

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

When humans are accelerated along the body vertical, the right and left eyes show oppositely directed torsional modulation (cyclovergence). The origin of this paradoxical response is unknown. We studied cyclovergence during linear sinusoidal vertical motion in healthy humans. A small head-fixed visual target minimized horizontal and vertical motion of the eyes and therefore isolated the torsional component. For stimuli between 1 and 2 Hz (near the natural range of head motion), the phase of cyclovergence with respect to inertial acceleration was 8.7 ± 2.4° (mean ± 95% CI) and the sensitivity (in degrees per second per g) showed a small but statistically significant increase with frequency. These characteristics contrast with those of cycloversion (conjugate torsion) during horizontal (interaural) inertial stimuli at similar frequencies. From these and previous results, we propose that cyclovergence during vertical translation has two sources, one, like cycloversion, from the low-frequency component of linear acceleration, and another, which we term dynamic cyclovergence, with high-pass characteristics. Furthermore, we suggest that this cyclovergence response in humans is a vestige of the response of lateral-eyed animals to vertical linear acceleration of the head.

Citing Articles

The cerebellum in eye movement control: nystagmus, coordinate frames and disconjugacy.

Patel V, Zee D Eye (Lond). 2014; 29(2):191-5.

PMID: 25397778 PMC: 4330284. DOI: 10.1038/eye.2014.271.

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