title: Weightlessness alters up/down asymmetries in the perception of self-motion.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the effect of weightlessness on the ability to perceive and remember self-motion when passing through virtual 3D tunnels that curve in different direction (up, down, left, right). We asked cosmonaut subjects to perform the experiment before, during and after long-duration space flight aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and we manipulated vestibular versus haptic cues by having subjects perform the task either in a rigidly fixed posture with respect to the space station or during free-floating, in weightlessness. Subjects were driven passively at constant speed through the virtual 3D tunnels containing a single turn in the middle of a linear segment, either in pitch or in yaw, in increments of 12.5°. After exiting each tunnel, subjects were asked to report their perception of the turn's angular magnitude by adjusting, with a trackball, the angular bend in a rod symbolizing the outside view of the tunnel. We demonstrate that the strong asymmetry between downward and upward pitch turns observed on Earth showed an immediate and significant reduction when free-floating in weightlessness and a delayed reduction when the cosmonauts were firmly in contact with the floor of the station. These effects of weightlessness on the early processing stages (vestibular and optokinetics) that underlie the perception of self-motion did not stem from a change in alertness or any other uncontrolled factor in the ISS, as evidenced by the fact that weightlessness had no effect on the perception of yaw turns. That the effects on the perception of pitch may be partially overcome by haptic cues reflects the fusion of multisensory cues and top-down influences on visual perception.
authors: Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Biomechanics of Movement, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP 640, 50 Av F Roosevelt, Brussels, Belgium. caty.de.saedeleer@ulb.ac.be
authors: Caty
authors: C
authors: De Saedeleer
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Vidal
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Lipshits
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Bengoetxea
authors: Ana Maria
authors: AM
authors: Cebolla
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Berthoz
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Cheron
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: McIntyre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018480:Astronauts / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012649:Self Concept; D014893:Weightlessness
references: Exp Brain Res. 2010 Apr;201(4):653-62
references: 20024651
references: J Physiol. 1987 Dec;394:267-90
references: 3443967
references: J Physiol. 1986 Mar;372:95-111
references: 3487645
references: J Vis. 2011 Apr 08;11(4):
references: 21478379
references: Neurosci Lett. 2007 Aug 23;423(3):211-5
references: 17709199
references: Aerosp Med. 1967 Nov;38(11):1099-103
references: 6057306
references: Exp Brain Res. 1993;94(3):456-62
references: 8359259
references: J Physiol. 1986 Mar;372:75-94
references: 3487644
references: Ann Neurol. 2003 Nov;54(5):615-24
references: 14595651
references: Aviat Space Environ Med. 2010 Apr;81(4):375-82
references: 20377140
references: Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 1998 Nov;28(1-2):185-93
references: 9795210
references: Percept Psychophys. 2006 Nov;68(8):1338-50
references: 17378419
references: Brain Res. 2006 Nov 22;1121(1):104-16
references: 17034767
references: Science. 2005 Apr 15;308(5720):416-9
references: 15831760
references: Exp Brain Res. 1994;102(1):45-56
references: 7895798
references: Kosm Biol Aviakosm Med. 1983 Jul-Aug;17(4):12-5
references: 6620948
references: J Neurophysiol. 2010 Jan;103(1):360-70
references: 19889846
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 May 18;101(20):7745-50
references: 15136747
references: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 May 22;656:329-39
references: 1599153
references: Nat Neurosci. 2001 Jul;4(7):693-4
references: 11426224
references: Exp Brain Res. 1994;99(2):347-60
references: 7925815
references: Exp Brain Res. 1993;96(3):443-56
references: 8299746
references: Exp Brain Res. 1991;84(2):335-41
references: 2065739
references: J Neurophysiol. 2008 Apr;99(4):1969-82
references: 18057110
references: Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 1998 Nov;28(1-2):92-101
references: 9795160
references: J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 26;31(4):1397-409
references: 21273424
references: Aviat Space Environ Med. 2006 Apr;77(4):449-52
references: 16676658
references: Psychol Bull. 1972 Oct;78(4):266-78
references: 4562947
references: J Neurophysiol. 1991 Oct;66(4):1422-39
references: 1761991
references: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2002 Sep;3(9):741-7
references: 12209122
references: Perception. 2005;34(5):545-55
references: 15991691
references: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2002 Aug;28(4):1002-11
references: 12190248
references: Exp Brain Res. 2006 Aug;173(3):374-88
references: 16628400
references: J Neurosci. 2012 Feb 8;32(6):1969-73
references: 22323710
references: Exp Brain Res. 2000 Jan;130(1):2-26
references: 10638437
references: Naturwissenschaften. 1983 Jun;70(6):272-81
references: 6877388
references: Exp Brain Res. 2010 Jan;200(1):37-49
references: 19705112
references: Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 1987;244(3):143-6
references: 3675297
references: Hum Factors. 2006 Summer;48(2):219-28
references: 16884044
references: Annu Rev Neurosci. 1989;12:33-45
references: 2648952
references: J Neurophysiol. 2012 Jun;107(12):3433-45
references: 22442569
references: Psychon Bull Rev. 1995 Dec;2(4):409-28
references: 24203782
references: J Anxiety Disord. 2001 Jan-Apr;15(1-2):81-94
references: 11388359
references: Aviat Space Environ Med. 1985 Jun;56(6):601-6
references: 3874622
references: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005 Dec;6(12):966-76
references: 16340956
references: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999 May 28;871:334-44
references: 10372083
references: Science. 1984 Jul 13;225(4658):205-8
references: 6610215
references: Exp Brain Res. 2006 Sep;173(4):612-22
references: 16550392
references: Exp Brain Res. 2000 Oct;134(3):322-34
references: 11045357
references: J Vestib Res. 2003;13(4-6):255-63
references: 15096669
references: Exp Brain Res. 2009 Feb;192(4):571-604
references: 19139857
references: Neurosci Lett. 1986 Jan 30;63(3):271-4
references: 3951753
references: Neuroreport. 1999 Apr 6;10(5):1085-9
references: 10321488
references: J Vestib Res. 2003;13(4-6):273-86
references: 15096671