Gaze and Viewing Angle Influence Visual Stabilization of Upright Posture

Overview

Journal Brain Behav

Specialty Psychology

Date 2012 Mar 9

PMID 22398978

Citations 7

Authors

Ki Ustinova

J Perkins

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Focusing gaze on a target helps stabilize upright posture. We investigated how this visual stabilization can be affected by observing a target presented under different gaze and viewing angles. In a series of 10-second trials, participants (N = 20, 29.3 ± 9 years of age) stood on a force plate and fixed their gaze on a figure presented on a screen at a distance of 1 m. The figure changed position (gaze angle: eye level (0°), 25° up or down), vertical body orientation (viewing angle: at eye level but rotated 25° as if leaning toward or away from the participant), or both (gaze and viewing angle: 25° up or down with the rotation equivalent of a natural visual perspective). Amplitude of participants' sagittal displacement, surface area, and angular position of the center of gravity (COG) were compared. Results showed decreased COG velocity and amplitude for up and down gaze angles. Changes in viewing angles resulted in altered body alignment and increased amplitude of COG displacement. No significant changes in postural stability were observed when both gaze and viewing angles were altered. Results suggest that both the gaze angle and viewing perspective may be essential variables of the visuomotor system modulating postural responses.

Citing Articles

Older adults and stroke survivors are steadier when gazing down.

Koren Y, Handelzalts S, Parmet Y, Bar-Haim S PLoS One. 2023; 18(5):e0285361.

PMID: 37205706 PMC: 10198484. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285361.

Gazing down increases standing and walking postural steadiness.

Koren Y, Mairon R, Sofer I, Parmet Y, Ben-Shahar O, Bar-Haim S R Soc Open Sci. 2021; 8(3):201556.

PMID: 33959324 PMC: 8074885. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201556.

Ground squirrel - A cool model for a bright vision.

Li W Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2020; 106:127-134.

PMID: 32593518 PMC: 7486276. DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.06.005.

Eye Movements Affect Postural Control in Young and Older Females.

Thomas N, Bampouras T, Donovan T, Dewhurst S Front Aging Neurosci. 2016; 8:216.

PMID: 27695412 PMC: 5025428. DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00216.

Smooth-pursuit eye movements without head movement disrupt the static body balance.

Kim S, Moon B, Cho H J Phys Ther Sci. 2016; 28(4):1335-8.

PMID: 27190478 PMC: 4868238. DOI: 10.1589/jpts.28.1335.

References

Assaiante C, Mallau S, Viel S, Jover M, Schmitz C . Development of postural control in healthy children: a functional approach. Neural Plast. 2005; 12(2-3):109-18. PMC: 2565455. DOI: 10.1155/NP.2005.109. View

Ukai K, Saida S, Ishikawa N . Use of infrared TV cameras built into head-mounted display to measure torsional eye movements. Jpn J Ophthalmol. 2001; 45(1):5-12. DOI: 10.1016/s0021-5155(00)00289-6. View

Revel M, Berthoz A . Eye-head coupling in humans. II. Phasic components. Exp Brain Res. 1991; 84(2):359-66. DOI: 10.1007/BF00231457. View

Buckley J, Anand V, Scally A, Elliott D . Does head extension and flexion increase postural instability in elderly subjects when visual information is kept constant?. Gait Posture. 2004; 21(1):59-64. DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2003.11.005. View

Stoffregen T . The role of optical velocity in the control of stance. Percept Psychophys. 1986; 39(5):355-60. DOI: 10.3758/bf03203004. View

Schmidt D, Ullrich D, Rossner R . Horizontal and vertical reading: a comparative investigation of eye movements. Ger J Ophthalmol. 1993; 2(4-5):251-5. View

Gibson J . The visual perception of objective motion and subjective movement. Psychol Rev. 1954; 61(5):304-14. DOI: 10.1037/h0061885. View

Bedard P, Thangavel A, Sanes J . Gaze influences finger movement-related and visual-related activation across the human brain. Exp Brain Res. 2008; 188(1):63-75. PMC: 3065111. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-008-1339-3. View

Carriot J, DiZio P, Nougier V . Vertical frames of reference and control of body orientation. Neurophysiol Clin. 2008; 38(6):423-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2008.09.003. View

10.

Fukushima J, Asaka T, Fukushima K . Postural changes during eye-head movements. Prog Brain Res. 2008; 171:335-8. DOI: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)00649-3. View

11.

Piponnier J, Hanssens J, Faubert J . Effect of visual field locus and oscillation frequencies on posture control in an ecological environment. J Vis. 2009; 9(1):13.1-10. DOI: 10.1167/9.1.13. View

12.

Straube A, Krafczyk S, Paulus W, Brandt T . Dependence of visual stabilization of postural sway on the cortical magnification factor of restricted visual fields. Exp Brain Res. 1994; 99(3):501-6. DOI: 10.1007/BF00228986. View

13.

Vaillancourt D, Haibach P, Newell K . Visual angle is the critical variable mediating gain-related effects in manual control. Exp Brain Res. 2006; 173(4):742-50. PMC: 2366211. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-006-0454-2. View

14.

Stoffregen T, Faugloire E, Yoshida K, Flanagan M, Merhi O . Motion sickness and postural sway in console video games. Hum Factors. 2008; 50(2):322-31. DOI: 10.1518/001872008X250755. View

15.

Keshner E, Kenyon R . Postural and spatial orientation driven by virtual reality. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2009; 145:209-28. PMC: 2736108. DOI: 10.3233/978-1-60750-018-6-209. View

16.

Berthoz A, Pavard B, Young L . Perception of linear horizontal self-motion induced by peripheral vision (linearvection) basic characteristics and visual-vestibular interactions. Exp Brain Res. 1975; 23(5):471-89. DOI: 10.1007/BF00234916. View

17.

Berthoz A, Revel M . Eye-head coupling in humans. I. Simultaneous recording of isolated motor units in dorsal neck muscles and horizontal eye movements. Exp Brain Res. 1988; 69(2):399-406. DOI: 10.1007/BF00247585. View

18.

Shieh K, Lee D . Preferred viewing distance and screen angle of electronic paper displays. Appl Ergon. 2006; 38(5):601-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2006.06.008. View

19.

Sandor P, Leger A . Tracking with a restricted field of view: performance and eye-head coordination aspects. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1991; 62(11):1026-31. View

20.

Paulus W, Straube A, Krafczyk S, Brandt T . Differential effects of retinal target displacement, changing size and changing disparity in the control of anterior/posterior and lateral body sway. Exp Brain Res. 1989; 78(2):243-52. DOI: 10.1007/BF00228896. View