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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 5, 2026

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane
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Published on: August 22, 2025

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Effects of visual motion consistent or inconsistent with gravity on postural sway.

Priscilla Balestrucci1,2, Elena Daprati3,4, Francesco Lacquaniti5,3,4

  • 1Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome, Italy. priscilla.balestrucci@uniroma2.it.

Experimental Brain Research
|March 23, 2017
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Summary

Dynamic visual cues from gravity influence postural control. Healthy adults showed reduced body sway when watching targets move with gravity, indicating vision

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Human movement science
  • Neuroscience
  • Biomechanics

Background:

  • Vision is crucial for maintaining upright stance and postural control.
  • The perception of verticality, defined by gravity, aids balance.
  • The role of dynamic visual cues related to gravity in postural control is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relevance of dynamic visual cues about gravitational acceleration for postural control.
  • To assess the relationship between postural sway and visual motion congruent or incongruent with gravity.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded postural sway of 44 healthy volunteers using force platforms.
  • Participants observed virtual targets moving with varying directions and accelerations.
  • Analyzed sway parameters in relation to target motion characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Small but significant differences in sway parameters were observed based on target motion.
  • Vertically accelerated targets aligned with gravitational motion (GM) resulted in smaller center of pressure oscillations compared to anti-GM.
  • Dynamic visual cues regarding gravity's direction and magnitude impact balance control.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic visual information related to gravity is significant for maintaining upright stance.
  • Both static and dynamic visual cues contribute to balance control.
  • Future research should explore the neural mechanisms underlying this visual-vestibular-somatosensory integration for balance.