Verticality Perception - Effects of Prolonged Roll-tilt in Healthy Human Subjects

Verticality Perception - Effects of Prolonged Roll-tilt in Healthy Human Subjects

The long-term goal of this research is to advance our knowledge of how the brain combines the information of multiple sensory systems coding for spatial orientation and how adaptation to vestibular imbalance influences spatial orientation. In healthy human subjects verticality perception is accurate while upright. After prolonged roll-tilt, humans show a systematic bias in perceived direction towards the previous roll-tilted position (so-called "post-tilt bias"). Here we evaluate different potential explanations for this bias using both vision-dependent and vision-independent paradigms of verticality perception.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. ages 18-65 years
2. informed consent
3. absence of exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

1. peripheral-vestibular deficit
2. disturbed consciousness
3. history of sensory deficits
4. visual field deficits
5. other neurological or systemic disorder which can cause dementia or cognitive dysfunction
6. intake of antidepressants, sedatives, or neuroleptics
7. pregnancy, unless excluded by a negative pregnancy test
8. known neck pain or status post neck trauma