Visual-vestibular integration is preserved with healthy aging in a simple acceleration detection task.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Aging Research
• Sensory Perception

Background:

• Aging leads to sensory decline and increased neural noise.
• Older adults may compensate through enhanced multisensory integration.
• Visual-vestibular integration's role in aging perception is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how aging affects visual-vestibular integration.
• To understand changes in self-motion perception across the lifespan.
• To quantify age-related differences in sensory cue integration.

Main Methods:

• A simple reaction time task was used across a lifespan cohort (18-79 years).
• Participants responded to visual (optic flow) and vestibular (inertial motion) cues.
• Reaction times and race model inequality violation were measured to assess integration.

Main Results:

• Vestibular-only cues showed longer reaction times and lower detection rates in older adults, indicating increased vestibular noise.
• Greatest visual-vestibular integration occurred when vestibular cues preceded visual cues, irrespective of age.
• The relationship between age and visual-vestibular integration was positive but not statistically significant, suggesting a small effect size.

Conclusions:

• Aging significantly increases vestibular perceptual thresholds.
• Despite increased vestibular noise, the capacity for visual-vestibular integration is largely preserved in older adults.
• Self-motion perception appears robust to age-related sensory changes.