Different EEG brain activity in right and left handers during visually induced self-motion perception

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Perception
• Sensory Integration

Background:

• Visually induced self-motion perception (vection) integrates visual and vestibular information.
• Previous studies suggest hemispheric dominance in vestibular processing based on handedness.
• The neural underpinnings of vection in relation to handedness remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in behavioral and neural correlates of vection between left- and right-handed individuals.
• To examine the influence of handedness on the brain's response to self-motion perception.

Main Methods:

• 64-channel EEG was recorded from 25 left- and 25 right-handed individuals.
• Participants experienced vection-compatible (coherent) and control (incoherent) visual motion.
• Behavioral measures (presence, latency, duration, strength) and EEG spectral power (alpha, theta, beta bands) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Behavioral characteristics of vection did not significantly differ between left and right handers.
• Both groups showed decreased alpha power during vection, but the topography differed: left-handers exhibited left-lateralized centro-parietal decreases, while right-handers showed bilateral midline centro-parietal decreases.
• Alpha power changes around vection onset and during ongoing vection were comparable between groups.

Conclusions:

• Handedness influences the topographical distribution of neural activity (alpha power decreases) during vection.
• These findings suggest handedness-dependent vestibular dominance impacts visual-vestibular interactions in self-motion perception.
• Despite topographical differences, the overall perceptual experience and fundamental alpha band modulations during vection are similar in left- and right-handers.