How to explain a constant subjective vertical at constant high speed rotation about an earth-horizontal axis.
When rotated in darkness about an earth-horizontal axis at speeds above 0.2-0.5 Hz, subjects, instead of feeling rotated, experience a constant (though extrapersonally diverse) position in space and a constant visual vertical (SV). Computer simulation shows that this phenomenon cannot be explained by the extant models of Mayne (1) and Ormsby (2) about the interaction of otoliths and semicircular canals. It follows, however, from a static theory of the SV (3) if, as in the presently proposed dynamic model, the otolith afference is processed by a low-pass filter. At high speed rotation this filter can only be passed by the force-independent, temporally invariant components of the otolith information. Such force-independent components are bound to result from biassed resting discharges, and have previously been shown to affect the SV and the self-adopted horizontal position. The interaction of otoliths and canals proposed by the model does provide a veridical vertical in a working range of angular frequencies and hence a basis for inertial navigation.
Mittelstaedt
H
H
Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, Seewiesen, BRD.
Glasauer
S
S
Gralla
G
G
Mittelstaedt
M L
ML
D000054:Acceleration; D003624:Darkness; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture; D012399:Rotation; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000502:physiology*; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000502:physiology*