Post-rotatory nystagmus and turning sensations after active and passive turning.

ABSTRACT

We measured post-rotatory nystagmus and sensations of body rotation in standing subjects brought to rest in the dark after 3 minutes of each of the following conditions 1) passive turning about the mid-body axis, involving only vestibular stimulation, 2) active turning about the mid-body axis, involving both vestibular stimulation and motor-proprioceptive activity in the legs, and 3) stepping round while remaining facing in the same direction on the center of a rotating platform with the head held in a stationary holder (apparent turning), involving only motor-proprioceptive activity. The same acceleration-velocity profile was used in all conditions. Post-rotatory nystagmus (slow phase) occurred in the same direction to passive body turning and was reduced in velocity after active body turning. After apparent turning, nystagmus was in the opposite direction as attempted body turning. Our theoretical analysis suggests that nystagmus after active turning should conform to the mean of the responses after passive and apparent turning rather than to their sum. The results conform more closely to the mean than to the sum, but with greater weight given to vestibular inputs than to motor-proprioceptive inputs. Post-rotatory sensations of self-rotation were in the expected opposite direction after passive turning and were lower in magnitude after active turning. After apparent turning, sensations of self-rotation were in the same direction as those after attempted turning--an effect known as the antisomatogyral illusion.