| When up is down in 0g: how gravity sensing affects the timing of interceptive actions. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 22323710 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Humans are known to regulate the timing of interceptive actions by modeling, in a simplified way, Newtonian mechanics. Specifically, when intercepting an approaching ball, humans trigger their movements a bit earlier when the target arrives from above than from below. This bias occurs regardless of the ball's true kinetics, and thus appears to reflect an a priori expectation that a downward moving object will accelerate. We postulate that gravito-inertial information is used to tune visuomotor responses to match the target's most likely acceleration. Here we used the peculiar conditions of parabolic flight-where gravity's effects change every 20 s-to test this hypothesis. We found a striking reversal in the timing of interceptive responses performed in weightlessness compared with trials performed on ground, indicating a role of gravity sensing in the tuning of this response. Parallels between these observations and the properties of otolith receptors suggest that vestibular signals themselves might plausibly provide the critical input. Thus, in addition to its acknowledged importance for postural control, gaze stabilization, and spatial navigation, we propose that detecting the direction of gravity's pull plays a role in coordinating quick reactions intended to intercept a fast-moving visual target. |
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Authors:
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Patrice Senot; Myrka Zago; Anne Le Séac'h; Mohammed Zaoui; Alain Berthoz; Francesco Lacquaniti; Joseph McIntyre |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience Volume: 32 ISSN: 1529-2401 ISO Abbreviation: J. Neurosci. Publication Date: 2012 Feb |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2012-02-10 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8102140 Medline TA: J Neurosci Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 1969-73 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l'Action, CNRS, Collège de France, Paris 75005, France, Centre d'Etude de la Sensorimotricité, Institut des Neurosciences et de la Cognition, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris 75006, France, Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy, and Department of Neuroscience and Center of Space BioMedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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