Postural sway and the frequency of horizontal eye movements

Thomas A Stoffregen; Benoît G Bardy; Céderick T Bonnet; Philip Hove; Olivier Oullier

Postural sway and the frequency of horizontal eye movements

Motor Control. 2007 Jan;11(1):86-102.

Authors

Thomas A Stoffregen¹, Benoît G Bardy, Céderick T Bonnet, Philip Hove, Olivier Oullier

Affiliation

¹ Human Factors Research laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA.

PMID: 17392569

Abstract

In two experiments, participants were asked to shift gaze to follow horizontal target oscillation to allow us to investigate relations between eye movements and postural dynamics. Postural sway variability was reduced during target oscillation when compared to sway while viewing a stationary target. The influence of target oscillation on sway was independent of target oscillation frequency. Similar results were obtained with measurements of the center of pressure (Experiment 1) and the displacement of body segments (Experiment 2). The overall results are not consistent with the view that eye movements and postural control compete for limited central processing resources. The results are consistent with the thesis of a functional integration of postural control with visual performance.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adult
Eye Movements*
Female
Generalization, Response
Head Movements
Humans
Male
Motion Perception*
Optical Illusions
Orientation*
Postural Balance*
Psychomotor Performance
Pursuit, Smooth