The influence of active versus passive head oscillation, and mental set on the human vestibulo-ocular reflex

We compared passive (manual) whole body, and active head oscillation in normal human subjects attempting mentally to influence the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). Our objective was to establish simple procedural guidelines for vestibular test procedures in clinical settings. Using a head-fixed target, both methods of oscillation yielded virtually zero gain. Using an Earth-fixed target, active oscillation gain was unity, while passive gain was slightly less than 1. Using an imagined Earth-fixed target in the dark, both active and passive gains were reduced considerably, but passive gain was reduced more. Using an imagined head-fixed target in the dark, VOR gain was near zero at low frequencies but increased as frequency increased. Again, passive gain was less than active gain. At frequencies above 1 Hz, VOR gain in all conditions approached a value between 0.7 and 0.9. We conclude that active and manual passive rotation are simple and effective methods to test the VOR, but emphasize that visual and mental influences must be carefully controlled.