The Speed of Optic Flow Stimuli Influences Body Sway

Milena Raffi (), Aurelio Trofè, Andrea Meoni and Alessandro Piras
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Milena Raffi: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Aurelio Trofè: Department of Quality of Life, University of Bologna, 47921 Rimini, Italy
Andrea Meoni: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Alessandro Piras: Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-11

Abstract: Optic flow is a perceptual cue processed for self-motion control. The aim of this study was to investigate whether postural control is modulated by the speed of radial optic flow stimuli. The experiments were performed on 20 healthy volunteers using stabilometry and surface electromyography (EMG). The subjects were instructed to fixate a central fixation point while radial optic flow stimuli were presented full field, in the foveal and in the peripheral visual field at different dots speed (8, 11, 14, 17 and 20°/s). Fixation in the dark was used as control stimulus. The EMG analysis showed that male and female subjects reacted to the stimuli with different muscle activity (main effects for gender, muscle and laterality: p < 0.001). The analysis of the center of pressure (COP) parameters showed that optic flow stimuli had a different effect on the left and right limbs of males and females (main effects of laterality: p < 0.015; interaction effects of gender and laterality: p < 0.016). The low speed of optic flow stimuli (8 and 11°/s) evoked non-uniform directions of oscillations especially in peripheral stimulation in all subjects, meaning that optic flow simulating slow self-motion stabilizes body sway.

Keywords: posture; visual perception; visual processing; postural control; heading perception; electromyography; stabilometry; body oscillation; gender differences; visual system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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