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The effect of variable speed rotational visual-vestibular interference on human stance stability.
Yong Fan1, Peisong Xia1, Haoyuan Chen2
1Department of Sports Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Human Movement Science
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Visual-vestibular interference significantly impacts balance, especially with prolonged incongruent sensory input. The brain attempts sensory reweighting, but this strategy is insufficient to fully compensate for prolonged disruptions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomechanics
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Static standing balance relies on integrating visual and vestibular sensory information.
- Disruptions to this sensory integration can impair postural control and lead to dizziness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of visual-vestibular interference on static standing balance.
- To examine how variable-speed rotational patterns and different interference durations impact postural stability and sensory reliance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a head-mounted display and rotating platform to create congruent and incongruent visual-vestibular sensory experiences.
- Assessed subjective dizziness, self-perceived movement, and center-of-pressure (COP) data before and after 5-min and 20-min interference durations.
- Analyzed COP data in time and frequency domains to evaluate postural stability and sensory reweighting strategies.
Main Results:
- Incongruent interference heightened dizziness and caused misjudgment of rotation direction.
- Short-term (5-min) interference induced sensory reweighting (increased visual reliance, reduced proprioception) without significant COP changes.
- Long-term (20-min) incongruent interference significantly disrupted postural stability, increasing COP displacement, velocity, and area.
Conclusions:
- Visual information plays a critical role in postural control.
- Sensory reweighting is a compensatory strategy but is insufficient to overcome prolonged visual-vestibular interference.
- Understanding these sensory dynamics is crucial for fields like rehabilitation and virtual reality.
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