Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 8, 2025
Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform
Published on: August 4, 2022
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation Produces Cross-Modal Improvements in Visual Thresholds
Jamie L Voros1, Sage O Sherman1, Rachel Rise1
1Ann & H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States.
Background:
Stochastic resonance (SR) refers to a faint signal being enhanced with the addition of white noise. Previous studies have found that vestibular perceptual thresholds are lowered with noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (i.e., "in-channel" SR). Auditory white noise has been shown to improve tactile and visual thresholds, suggesting "cross-modal" SR.
Objective:
We investigated galvanic vestibular white noise (nGVS) (n = 9 subjects) to determine the cross-modal effects on visual and auditory thresholds.
Methods:
We measured auditory and visual perceptual thresholds of human subjects across a swath of different nGVS levels in order to determine if some individual-subject determined best nGVS level elicited a reduction in thresholds as compared the no noise condition (sham).
Results:
We found improvement in visual thresholds (by an average of 18%, p = 0.014). Subjects with higher (worse) visual thresholds with no stimulation (sham) improved more than those with lower thresholds (p = 0.04). Auditory thresholds were unchanged by vestibular stimulation.
Conclusion:
These results are the first demonstration of cross-modal improvement with galvanic vestibular stimulation, indicating galvanic vestibular white noise can produce cross-modal improvements in some sensory channels, but not all.
