Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
07:24
Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane
Published on: August 22, 2025
Ocular versus extraocular control of posture and equilibrium
1CNRS UMR 5105, laboratoire de psychologie et neurocognition, université de Savoie, 73376 Le-Bourget-du-lac, France. Michel.guerraz@univ-savoie.fr
Neurophysiologie Clinique = Clinical Neurophysiology
|November 26, 2008
Summary
Vision plays a key role in postural control through two main systems: ocular (retinal slip) and extraocular (efference copy or muscle afferents). Both systems effectively detect body sway and can work together.
Area of Science:
- Human physiology
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Vision's role in postural control is well-established but its precise mechanisms remain debated.
- Understanding visual feedback is crucial for addressing balance disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence for two distinct visual detection modes of body sway: ocular and extraocular.
- To explore how these systems contribute to maintaining balance.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating visual contributions to postural control.
- Analysis of mechanisms: retinal slip (ocular), efference copy, and muscle afferents (extraocular).
Main Results:
- Evidence supports two effective modes of visual sway detection: ocular and extraocular.
- These systems can operate congruently, providing dual information sources for large body sway.
- The afferent system may be primary for detecting small lateral body sway.
Conclusions:
- The visual system employs distinct ocular and extraocular pathways for sensing body sway.
- These pathways offer complementary information for postural adjustments.
- Further research can elucidate the interplay between these systems in various sway conditions.
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