Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effects of support-proprioceptive deprivation on visual-manual tracking and vestibular function

  • Published:
Human Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In order to determine the effects of support and proprioceptive afferentation on the characteristics of visual-manual tracking (VMT), we used a model of weightlessness—horizontal dry immersion. Altogether 30 subjects who stayed in the immersion bath from 5 to 7 days were examined to evaluate the accuracy of the VMT in tasks to pursue the jerky (saccadically) and smooth (linear, pendular and circular) movement of a point visual stimulus. Examinations were performed before, during and after immersion using electrooculography (to record eye movements) and a joystick (to record hand movements) with a biological visual feedback—one of the two visible stimuli on the screen matched the current angle of the joystick handle. Computerized visual stimulation programs were presented to subjects using virtual-reality glasses. We analyzed the time, amplitude and velocity characteristics of the visual and manual tracking (VT and MT respectively), including the efficiency ratio (eVT and eMT) and the gain (gVT and gMT) as the respective ratios of the amplitudes and velocities of the eyes/hand movements to the stimulus movement. eVT was significantly reduced in comparison to the baseline all the time, while the subject lay in the immersion bath and until R+4 day after immersion. eMT decreased significantly only on I-1 and I-3 days of immersion. gVT significantly differed from the baseline only on I-3 and I-6 days of immersion and R+1 day after immersion. We found no significant changes in gMT. Evaluations of the vestibular function (VF) were performed before and after immersion using videooculography. We analyzed the static torsional otolith-cervical-ocular reflex (OCOR), the dynamical vestibular-cervical-ocular reactions (VCOR), spontaneous eye movements (SpEM), and the accuracy of the perception of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). After immersion, 47% of all subjects had a significant reduction of OCOR with a simultaneous significant increase of VCOR on 37% of subjects, as well as significant changes in the accuracy of the perception of the SVV, which correlated with changes in OCOR. We found a correlation between characteristics of the VT and MT and between the characteristics of the VF and VT, but we found no correlation between VF and MT. We discovered that removal of the support and minimization of the proprioceptive afferentation has a greater impact upon the accuracy of the VT than the accuracy of the MT.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abrams, R., Meyer, D., and Kornblum, S., Eye-hand coordination: Oculomotor control in rapid aimed limb movements, J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform., 1990, vol. 16, no. 2, p. 248.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Vercher, J. and Gauthier, G., Oculo-manual coordination control: Ocular and manual tracking of visual targets with delayed visual feedback of the hand motion, Exp. Brain. Res., 1992, vol. 90, no. 3, p. 599.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Gauthier, G., Vercher, J., Mussa-Ivaldi, F., and Marchetti, E., Oculo-manual tracking of visual targets: Control learning, coordination control and coordination model, Exp. Brain. Res., 1988, vol. 73, no. 1, p. 127.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Grigorova, V. and Bock, O., The role of eye movements in visuo-manual adaptation, Exp. Brain Res., 2006, vol. 171, no. 4, p. 524.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Airapet’yants, E.Sh. and Batuev, A.S., Printsipy konvergentsii analizatornykh sistem (Principles of Convergence of Analyzer Systems), Moscow: Nauka, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mather, J. and Lackner, J., Multiple sensory and motor cues enhance the accuracy of pursuit eye movements, Aviat. Space Environ. Med., 1980, vol. 51, p. 856.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Buttner-Ennever, J.A., Horn, A.K.E., Graf, W., and Ugolini, G., Modern concepts of brainstem anatomy from extraocular motoneurons to proprioceptive pathways, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 2002, vol. 956, p. 75.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kornilova, L.N., Orientation illusions in space flight, J. Vestib. Res., 1997, vol. 7, no. 5, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kornilova, L.N., The role of gravitation-dependent systems in visual tracking, Neurosci. Behav. Physiol., 2004, vol. 34, no. 8, p. 20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Kozlovskaya, I., Sirota, M., Babaev, B., et al., Human and animal results on vestibular research in space, in 4th European Symposium on Life Sciences Research in Space, Trieste, 1990, p. 353.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Kornilova, L.N. and Kozlovskaya, I.B., Neurosensory Mechanisms of Space Adaptation Syndrome, Hum. Physiol., 2003, vol. 29, no. 5, p. 527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Berger, M., Mescheriakov, S., Molokanova, E., et al., Pointing arm movements in short and long-term space flights, Aviat. Space Environ. Med., 1997, vol. 68, no. 9, p. 781.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Berger, M., Lechner-Steinleitner, S., Kozlovskaya, I., et. al., The effect of head-to-trunk position on the direction of arm movements before, during, and after space flight, J. Vestib. Res., 1998, vol. 8, no. 5, p. 341.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Muller, Ch., Kornilova, L.N., Wiest, G., and Deecke, L., Visuo-vestibular-motor interaction and spatial orientation in weigchlessness, Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 1993, vol. 143, no. 23/24, p. 630.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Muller, Ch., Kornilova, L.N., Wiest, G., Steinhoff, N., and Deecke, L., The OPTOVERT experiment from Austromir 91. Oculomotor responses, and visuomanual tracking, and vertical vection to optokinetic stimulation, in Proc. of 1st Congress of the WFN-Research Group of Space and Underwater Neurology in Messina, 1993, p. 321.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Vercher, J.L., Quaccia, D., and Gauthier, G.M., Oculomanual coordination control: respective role of visual and non-visual information in ocular tracking of self-moved targets, Exp. Brain Res., 1995, vol. 103, no. 2, p. 311.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kreidich, Yu.M., Repin, A.A., Barmin, V.A., et al., Effect of immersion hypokinesia on the characteristics of eye and hand movements during gaze fixation reaction in humans, Kosm. Biol. Aviakosm. Med., 1982, vol. 16, no. 5, p. 41.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kornilova, L.N., Klyushnikova, O.N., Korsunskii, S.B., et al., Vestibular-oculomotor responses under the conditions of immersion hypokinesia, Aviakosm. Ekol. Med., 1992, vol. 26, no. 4, p. 43.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Kornilova, L.N., Naumov, I.A., Mazurenko, A.Yu., and Kozlovskaya, I.B., Visual-manual tracking and the vestibular function during a seven-day “dry” immersion, Aviakosm. Ekol. Med., 2008, vol. 42, no. 5, p. 8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Kornilova, L.N., Naumov, I.A., and Glukhikh, D.O., Visual-manual tracking and the vestibular function during a five-day immersion, Aviakosm. Ekol. Med., 2011, vol. 45, no. 6, p. 8.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kozlovskaya, I.B., Fundamental and applied goals of immersion studies, Aviakosm. Ekol. Med., 2008, vol. 42, no. 5, p. 3.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Genin, A.M., Lakota, N.G., Kreidich, Ya.V., et al., The effect of support unloading induced by microgravity imitation, Physiologist, 1988, vol. 31, no. 1, p. 77.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Brodal, A., Val’berg, F., and Pompeano, O., Vestibulyarnye yadra: svyazi, anatomiya, funktsional’nye korrelyatsii (Vestibular nuclei: Connections, anatomy, and functional correlations), Moscow: Nauka, 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Leigh, R.J. and Zee, D.S., The Neurology of Eye Movements, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kornilova, L.N., Naumov, I.A., Sagalovich, S.V., et al., RF Patent 2 307 575, 2007.

  26. Clarke, A., Ditterich, J., Druen, K., et al., Using high frame rate CMOS sensors for three-dimensional eye tracking, Behav. Res. Meth. Instrum. Comput., 2002, vol. 34, no. 4, p. 549.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kornilova L.N., Naumov, I.A., and Makarova, S.M., Static torsional otolith-cervical-ocular reflex after prolonged exposure to weightlessness and 7-day immersion, Acta Austronaut., 2011, vol. 68, p. 1462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Kornilova, L.N., Naumov, I.A., Sagalovich, S.V., and Reshke, M., The vestibular function and visual tracking after a long-term microgravity, in Kosmicheskaya biologiya i meditsina, vol. 2: Mediko-biologicheskie issledovaniya na rossiiskom segmente MKS (Spece Biology and Medicine, vol. 2: Biomedical Research in the Russian Segment of the ISS), Moscow: Inst. Mediko-Biol. Probl., 2011, p. 124.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kornilova, L., Naumov, I., Azarov, K., and Sagalovitch, V., Gaze control and vestibular-cervical-ocular responses after prolonged exposure to microgravity, Aviat. Space Environ. Med., 2012, vol. 83, no. 12, p. 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Kornilova, L.N. and Ryabichev, V.A., Comparative data on the perception of spatial coordinates by deaf-mute and healthy subjects upon vestibular stimulation, in Aktual’nye voprosy kosmicheskoi biologii i meditsiny (Current Problems in Space Biology and Medicine), Moscow, 1981, p. 151.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Smetanin, B.N. and Popov, K.E., Study of the relationship between errors of purposive movements and incorrect visual perception of space, Neirofiziologiya, 1998, vol. 30, no. 3, p. 134.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Sailer, U., Flanagan, J.R., and Johansson, R.S., Eyehand coordination during learning of a novel visuamotor task, J. Neurosci., 2005, vol. 25, no. 39, p. 8833.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Barnes, G.R. and Marsden, J., Anticipatory control of hand and eye movements in humans during oculo-manual tracking, J. Physiol., 2002, vol. 539, no. 1, p. 317.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Kornilova, L.N., Sagalovich, S.V., Temnikova, V.V., and Yakushev, A.G., Static and dynamic vestibule-cervicoocular responses after prolonged exposure to weightlessness, J. Vestibular Res., 2007, vol. 17, nos. 5–6, p. 217.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP), the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation and Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science, Moscow, Russia

    L. N. Kornilova, I. A. Naumov, D. O. Glukhikh, E. V. Habarova & I. B. Kozlovskaya

Authors
  1. L. N. Kornilova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. A. Naumov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. O. Glukhikh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. V. Habarova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. I. B. Kozlovskaya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Original Russian Text © L.N. Kornilova, I.A. Naumov, D.O. Glukhikh, E.V. Habarova, I.B. Kozlovskaya, 2013, published in Fiziologiya Cheloveka, 2013, Vol. 39, No. 5, pp. 13–24.

The article was translated by the authors.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kornilova, L.N., Naumov, I.A., Glukhikh, D.O. et al. The effects of support-proprioceptive deprivation on visual-manual tracking and vestibular function. Hum Physiol 39, 462–471 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119713050071

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119713050071

Keywords

Search

Navigation