Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Dose-dependent white matter changes associated with repetitive head impacts in former American football players.

Brain communications·2026

Same author

Oculomotor dysfunction May not subside upon clinical resolution of sport related concussion.

Scientific reports·2025

Same author

A Guide to the Interpretation and Reliability of Annual Collegiate ImPACT Baselines by Sex.

Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists·2025

Same author

Smooth Pursuit Velocity After a Season of Repetitive Head Impacts in American Football Players.

JAMA ophthalmology·2025

Same author

VOMS Baseline Versus Postinjury: A Comparison of a Standardized Novel Prototype and a Virtual Reality Application in Sport-Related Concussion.

Sports health·2025

Same author

The effect of age and proprioceptive illusion susceptibility on gait.

Physiology & behavior·2024

Same journal

Analysis of human visual experience data.

Journal of vision·2026

Same journal

Pyramid-based Bayesian modeling for high-resolution behavioral analysis.

Journal of vision·2026

Same journal

Sensation without perception: The white whale effect and perceptual blindness in autonomous vehicles.

Journal of vision·2026

Same journal

Gaze behavior during closed-captioned movie viewing adapts to absent audio through more frequent switching between text and scene.

Journal of vision·2026

Same journal

In pursuit of saccade awareness: Limited volitional control and minimal conscious access to catch-up saccades during smooth pursuit eye movements.

Journal of vision·2026

Same journal

Dissociable effects of element-lifetime and stimulus-duration on local and global motion processing: An equivalent noise study.

Journal of vision·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control

Published on: September 11, 2019

Dynamic contrast sensitivity during human locomotion.

Brian Szekely^1,2, Paul R MacNeilage^1,3

¹Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.

Journal of Vision

|November 14, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Vision remains clear during walking, despite increased retinal image motion. Contrast sensitivity improves during locomotion, except during heel strikes, showing periodic patterns linked to stride cycles.

More Related Videos

Using a Split-belt Treadmill to Evaluate Generalization of Human Locomotor Adaptation

Using a Split-belt Treadmill to Evaluate Generalization of Human Locomotor Adaptation

Published on: August 23, 2017

Paw-Print Analysis of Contrast-Enhanced Recordings PrAnCER: A Low-Cost, Open-Access Automated Gait Analysis System for Assessing Motor Deficits

Paw-Print Analysis of Contrast-Enhanced Recordings PrAnCER: A Low-Cost, Open-Access Automated Gait Analysis System for Assessing Motor Deficits

Published on: August 12, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 11, 2026

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control

Published on: September 11, 2019

Using a Split-belt Treadmill to Evaluate Generalization of Human Locomotor Adaptation

Using a Split-belt Treadmill to Evaluate Generalization of Human Locomotor Adaptation

Published on: August 23, 2017

Paw-Print Analysis of Contrast-Enhanced Recordings PrAnCER: A Low-Cost, Open-Access Automated Gait Analysis System for Assessing Motor Deficits

Paw-Print Analysis of Contrast-Enhanced Recordings PrAnCER: A Low-Cost, Open-Access Automated Gait Analysis System for Assessing Motor Deficits

Published on: August 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Vision Science
Human Locomotion

Background:

Locomotion challenges clear vision due to increased retinal image motion.
The visual system demonstrates remarkable adaptation for stable perception during movement.
Understanding dynamic visual processing during walking is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess dynamic contrast sensitivity during human locomotion.
To investigate the impact of head motion and stride-cycle timing on visual sensitivity.
To explore the relationship between pupil size fluctuations and locomotion.

Main Methods:

Dynamic contrast sensitivity was measured using brief Gabor targets at threshold contrast.
Participants walked on a treadmill in a darkened room.
Head and ankle motion were tracked, with stimulus timing randomized for stride-cycle analysis.

Main Results:

Contrast sensitivity was generally enhanced during walking compared to standing.
Sensitivity decreased during heel strikes, showing periodic fluctuations (2, 4, and 6 cycles per stride).
Pupil size increased and fluctuated periodically, phase-locked to the stride cycle.

Conclusions:

Visual processing is entrained by active behaviors like walking, leading to perceptual oscillations.
Enhanced contrast sensitivity during locomotion may involve action-contingent effects on visual cortical activity.
The visual system is highly adapted to maintain clear vision during dynamic activities.