No handedness effect on spatial orientation or ocular counter ‐roll during lateral head tilts

We studied the impact of handedness on sensory and ocular motor processes that contribute to spatial orientation. We measured the effect of lateral head tilts on perception of upright and torsional eye position in right ‐handed and left‐handed participants. The results showed no effect of handedness, neither in the perceived upright orientation, nor in the ocular torsion response during lateral head tilt. AbstractAlthough vestibular inputs are bilaterally represented within the cerebral hemispheres, the higher level vestibular functions exhibit hemispheric asymmetries. Previous studies have suggested that such asymmetries are associated with handedness. Here, we studied the impact of handedness (i.e., hemispheric lateralization) on spatial orientation using a subjective visual vertical (SVV) task. We tested 22 right ‐handed and 22 left‐handed subjects in upright position, during prolonged lateral head tilts of 20° (~15 min), and after the head returned to upright position. The corresponding changes in torsional eye position were measured simultaneously using video‐oculography. During lateral head tilts, both right‐ and left‐handers had initial SVV biases in the opposite direction of the head tilt (right‐handers: left tilt 3.0 ± 1.3°, right tilt −4.7 ± 1.5°; left‐handers: left tilt 3.4 ± 1.1°, right tilt −4.1 ± 1.0°). The SVV subsequently drifted in the direction of the head tilt, and there was an aftereffect in the same direction when ...

Source: Physiological Reports - July 5, 2019 Category: Physiology Authors: Ariel Winnick, Shirin Sadeghpour, Michael Sova, Jorge Otero ‐Millan, Amir Kheradmand Tags: Original Research Source Type: research