Angle of gaze and optic flow direction modulate body sway

Optic flow is a crucial signal in maintaining postural stability. We sought to investigate whether the activity of postural muscles and body sway was modulated by eye position during the view of radial optic flow stimuli. We manipulated the spatial distribution of dot speed and the fixation point position to simulate specific heading directions combined with different gaze positions. The experiments were performed using stabilometry and surface electromyography (EMG) on 24 right-handed young, healthy volunteers.

Source: Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology - May 31, 2017 Category: Neurology Authors: Milena Raffi, Alessandro Piras, Michela Persiani, Monica Perazzolo, Salvatore Squatrito Source Type: research