Imagination of body rotation can induce eye movements

Several studies have shown that spatiotemporal aspects of motion are stored and can be retrieved with the use of vestibular and somatosensory cues. The purpose of this study was to examine whether intentional imagination of body rotation can induce oculomotor activity similar to the typical vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR).

Normal subjects without known vestibular and/or oculometric abnormalities were instructed to imagine a sensation of accelerating body rotation in the horizontal plane (rightward or leftward) while sitting in darkness with closed eyes, using only vestibular and somatosensory cues and not imaginary visual cues. Eye movements were recorded during the imagery session and also during a full, routine electronystagmography (ENG) test. All subjects selected for this study showed normal results in the ENG test, and none of them had gaze-evoked or end-point nystagmus.

In response to imaginary rotations, horizontal eye movements were found in 91/121 recordings (75%) in 10 subjects. A typical pattern of nystagmus (0.3-3 Hz, 3-30 degrees /s maximal speed of slow component) was recorded in 53% of mental rightward rotations and 49% of leftward rotations. The fast component was always in the direction of the imaginary rotation (similar to a normal VOR). Other types of eye movement comprised either contralateral eye drift ( approximately 17% of trials) or macro square waves. In 25% of the recordings no definite eye movements could be detected during the mental maneuvers.

These mentally induced eye movements seem to be due to a cortical process which can affect the normal input to the brainstem nuclei. A possible mechanism is discussed. This phenomenon may serve as an objective measurement of mental activity, may be used for testing the cognitive resources of patients and can probably be used for enhancing the rehabilitation process after acute vestibular insult.