Perception of smooth and perturbed vection in short-duration microgravity.

Successful adaptation to the microgravity environment of space and readaptation to gravity on earth requires recalibration of visual and vestibular signals. Recently, we have shown that adding simulated viewpoint oscillation to visual self-motion displays produces more compelling vection (despite the expected increase in visual-vestibular conflict experienced by stationary observers). Currently, it is unclear what role adaptation to gravity might play in this oscillation-based vection advantage. The vection elicited by optic flow displays simulating either smooth forward motion or forward motion perturbed by viewpoint oscillation was assessed before, during and after microgravity exposure in parabolic flight. During normal 1-g conditions subjects experienced significantly stronger vection for oscillating compared to smooth radial optic flow. The magnitude of this oscillation enhancement was reduced during short-term microgravity exposure, more so for simulated interaural (as opposed to spinal) axis viewpoint oscillation. We also noted a small overall reduction in vection sensitivity post-flight. A supplementary experiment found that 1-g vection responses did not vary significantly across multiple testing sessions. These findings: (i) demonstrate that the oscillation advantage for vection is very stable and repeatable during 1-g conditions and (ii) imply that adaptation or conditioned responses played a role in the post-flight vection reductions. The effects observed in microgravity are discussed in terms of the ecology of terrestrial locomotion and the nature of movement in microgravity.

The effect of altered gravity states on the perception of orientation.

We measured the effect of the orientation of the visual background on the perceptual upright (PU) under different levels of gravity. Brief periods of micro- and hypergravity conditions were created using two series of parabolic flights. Control measures were taken in the laboratory under normal gravity with subjects upright, right side down and supine. Participants viewed a polarized, natural scene presented at various orientations on a laptop viewed through a hood which occluded all other visual cues. Superimposed on the screen was a character the identity of which depended on its orientation. The orientations at which the character was maximally ambiguous were measured and the perceptual upright was defined as half way between these orientations. The visual background affected the orientation of the PU less when in microgravity than when upright in normal gravity and more when supine than when upright in normal gravity. A weighted vector sum model was used to quantify the relative influence of the orientations of gravity, vision and the body in determining the perceptual upright.

The effect of long-term exposure to microgravity on the perception of upright.

Going into space is a disorienting experience. Many studies have looked at sensory functioning in space but the multisensory basis of orientation has not been systematically investigated. Here, we assess how prolonged exposure to microgravity affects the relative weighting of visual, gravity, and idiotropic cues to perceived orientation. We separated visual, body, and gravity (when present) cues to perceived orientation before, during, and after long-term exposure to microgravity during the missions of seven astronauts on the International Space Station (mean duration 168 days) and measuring perceived vertical using the subjective visual vertical and the perceptual upright. The relative influence of each cue and the variance of their judgments were measured. Fourteen ground-based control participants performed comparable measurements over a similar period. The variance of astronauts' subjective visual vertical judgments in the absence of visual cues was significantly larger immediately upon return to earth than before flight. Astronauts' perceptual upright demonstrated a reduced reliance on visual cues upon arrival on orbit that re-appeared long after returning to earth. For earth-bound controls, the contributions of body, gravity, and vision remained constant throughout the year-long testing period. This is the first multisensory study of orientation behavior in space and the first demonstration of long-term perceptual changes that persist after returning to earth. Astronauts showed a plasticity in the weighting of perceptual cues to orientation that could form the basis for future countermeasures.

Effects of scleral search coil wear on visual function.

PURPOSE: The scleral search coil is widely regarded as the gold standard measurement technique for eye movements. The effect of wearing scleral search coils on human vision has not been systematically studied. However, there are anecdotal reports of degraded visual acuity, mild eye irritation, and an increase rise in intraocular pressure (IOP). The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of scleral search coil use on visual acuity and ocular integrity. METHODS: Six subjects were examined; all had previously worn search coils. Two drops of topical anesthetic were administered before insertion of the coils. Coils were inserted by hand and secured by applying mild pressure. The coils were removed after 45 minutes or on request of either the subject or the clinician. Before, during (at 15-minutes intervals), and after the coil was worn, the following measurements were taken for both eyes: tonometry (noncontact), corneal topography, biomicroscopic examination, visual acuity (monocular Snellen), and an eye-discomfort rating. RESULTS: Scleral coils produced a variety of effects, including ocular discomfort, hyperemia of the bulbar conjunctiva, increased IOP, buckling of the iris, grade 2 and 3 corneal staining, and reduction in visual acuity. Effects appeared as early as 15 minutes after insertion of the coils. All observed effects seemed to be transient and dissipated after coils were removed. CONCLUSIONS: Scleral coils may not be appropriate for all subjects. The findings suggest that there is a need for thorough subject prescreening and that clinicians should consider the risk/benefit ratio. Acute reduction in visual acuity may confound search coil findings. More research is needed to determine the maximum wearing time for properly screened subjects.

Influence of head orientation and viewpoint oscillation on linear vection.

Sensory conflict theories predict that adding simulated viewpoint oscillation to self-motion displays should generate significant and sustained visual-vestibular conflict and reduce the likelihood of illusory self-motion (vection). However, research shows that viewpoint oscillation enhances vection in upright observers. This study examined whether the oscillation advantage for vection depends on head orientation with respect to gravity. Displays that simulated forward/backward self-motion with/without horizontal and vertical viewpoint oscillation were presented to observers in upright (seated and standing) and lying (supine, prone, and left side down) body postures. Viewpoint oscillation was found to enhance vection for all of the body postures tested. Vection also tended to be stronger in upright postures than in lying postures. Changing the orientation of the head with respect to gravity was expected to alter the degree/saliency of the sensory conflict, which may explain the overall posture-based differences in vection strength. However, this does not explain why the oscillation advantage for vection persisted for all postures. Thus, the current postural and oscillation based vection findings appear to be better explained by ecology: Upright postures and oscillating flow (that are the norm during self-motion) improved vection, whereas lying postures and smooth optic flows (which are less common) impaired vection.

Perceptual upright: the relative effectiveness of dynamic and static images under different gravity States.

The perceived direction of up depends on both gravity and visual cues to orientation. Static visual cues to orientation have been shown to be less effective in influencing the perception of upright (PU) under microgravity conditions than they are on earth (Dyde et al., 2009). Here we introduce dynamic orientation cues into the visual background to ascertain whether they might increase the effectiveness of visual cues in defining the PU under different gravity conditions. Brief periods of microgravity and hypergravity were created using parabolic flight. Observers viewed a polarized, natural scene presented at various orientations on a laptop viewed through a hood which occluded all other visual cues. The visual background was either an animated video clip in which actors moved along the visual ground plane or an individual static frame taken from the same clip. We measured the perceptual upright using the oriented character recognition test (OCHART). Dynamic visual cues significantly enhance the effectiveness of vision in determining the perceptual upright under normal gravity conditions. Strong trends were found for dynamic visual cues to produce an increase in the visual effect under both microgravity and hypergravity conditions.