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Michiel van Elk1, Olaf Blanke

  • 1Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 19, AI 2101, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. michiel.vanelk@epfl.ch

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Vestibular stimulation influences visual perception. Passive body rotation altered the perception of bodily stimuli, but not non-bodily ones, demonstrating the vestibular system

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Perception Psychology
  • Vestibular System

Background:

  • Bistable visual perception involves ambiguous stimuli that can be perceived in two ways.
  • Vestibular stimulation, related to balance and self-motion, is known to influence multisensory integration.
  • Previous research suggests multimodal sensory inputs can affect bistable perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if passive body motion from vestibular stimulation affects bistable visual perception.
  • To determine if this effect differs between bodily and non-bodily visual stimuli.
  • To explore the role of the rotation axis in vestibular influence on perception.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments involving passive whole-body rotation around the vertical (yaw) axis.
  • Participants observed rotating bistable visual stimuli (bodily and non-bodily) with ambiguous motion.
  • Measured changes in perceived duration and rotation bias based on stimulus type and rotation congruence.

Main Results:

  • Vestibular stimulation selectively modulated the rotation bias for bodily stimuli, prolonging perception congruent with body motion.
  • Non-bodily stimuli showed an opposite effect, with perception biased away from body motion.
  • Vestibular effects were dependent on the congruence between the stimulus's rotation axis and the body's rotation axis.

Conclusions:

  • Vestibular self-motion significantly influences the perception of bistable bodily stimuli.
  • The axis of rotation is a critical factor for vestibular modulation of visual perception.
  • Vestibular mechanisms play a crucial role in visual consciousness beyond posture and balance.