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Adaptation of vestibular signals for self‐motion perception
Author(s) -
St George Rebecca J.,
Day Brian L.,
Fitzpatrick Richard C.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.197053
Subject(s) - galvanic vestibular stimulation , vestibular system , time constant , semicircular canal , perception , adaptation (eye) , rotation (mathematics) , communication , psychology , physics , audiology , neuroscience , mathematics , geometry , medicine , engineering , electrical engineering
Non‐technical summary The semicircular canals of the inner ear provide the brain with a sense of self‐rotation and orientation. How they maintain a stable sense over time is not understood, as the signals from the canals have no fixed reference for rotation speed. We show here by stimulating the vestibular nerves electrically and by real rotation that a central adaptive process automatically zeros the vestibular signal to define the signal that represents zero rotation. In doing this, we also show that electrical stimulation generates a virtual signal of angular acceleration about an axis through the head. Knowing how these stimuli work and how the brain interprets them will assist in developing unique methods to investigate and manage a range of pathological conditions that produce abnormal sensations of movement and balance, and provide the understanding to develop novel virtual‐reality techniques.