title: Use of a genetic algorithm for the analysis of eye movements from the linear vestibulo-ocular reflex.
abstract: It is common in vestibular and oculomotor testing to use a single-frequency (sine) or combination of frequencies [sum-of-sines (SOS)] stimulus for head or target motion. The resulting eye movements typically contain a smooth tracking component, which follows the stimulus, in which are interspersed rapid eye movements (saccades or fast phases). The parameters of the smooth tracking--the amplitude and phase of each component frequency--are of interest; many methods have been devised that attempt to identify and remove the fast eye movements from the smooth. We describe a new approach to this problem, tailored to both single-frequency and sum-of-sines stimulation of the human linear vestibulo-ocular reflex. An approximate derivative is used to identify fast movements, which are then omitted from further analysis. The remaining points form a series of smooth tracking segments. A genetic algorithm is used to fit these segments together to form a smooth (but disconnected) wave form, by iteratively removing biases due to the missing fast phases. A genetic algorithm is an iterative optimization procedure; it provides a basis for extending this approach to more complex stimulus-response situations. In the SOS case, the genetic algorithm estimates the amplitude and phase values of the component frequencies as well as removing biases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287-6921, USA. mjs@dizzy.med.jhu.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shelhamer
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*