High-frequency vestibulo-ocular reflex activation through forced head rotation in man

Abstract

The dynamic characteristics of the human vestibulo-ocular system were studied in the 0.5-30 Hz frequency range by rotating the head around a vertical axis. The rotation produced by a powerful servo-controlled vibrator was transmitted to the head by a hard-cushioned helmet and a rigid bite bar. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain and phase were measured during fixation of a mobile or stationary visual target and in total darkness. In a second set of experiments, the subjects evaluated the amplitude of the perceived visual instability of the target in the two fixation conditions. The results confirm earlier observations describing the VOR gain and phase in the 0.5-8 Hz range: the gain starts to decrease beyond 2 Hz and the phase rises towards 90 degrees. Beyond 8 Hz, the gain curve reverses direction and increases continuously toward 3-4 at 25-30 Hz in the three tested situations. Meanwhile, the phase curves do not vary much. In the same frequency range, the perceived visual instability is significantly altered. Therefore, the gain variation at high frequency may, in part, explain the perceived visual target instability and may be suspected of altering visually controlled tracking executed in vibrating environments.