Relationship between Postural Stability and Spatial Hearing

2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (09) ◽  
pp. 782-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhong ◽  
William A. Yost
Keyword(s):  
Postural Stability ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Noise Source ◽  
Spatial Hearing ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Angular Deviation ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Romberg Test

Background: Maintaining balance is known to be a multisensory process that uses information from different sensory organs. Although it has been known for a long time that spatial hearing cues provide humans with moderately accurate abilities to localize sound sources, how the auditory system interacts with balance mediated by the vestibular system remains largely a mystery. Purpose: The primary goal of the current study was to determine whether auditory spatial cues obtained from a fixed sound source can help human participants balance themselves as compared to conditions in which participants use vision. Research Design: The experiment uses modified versions of conventional clinical tests: the Tandem Romberg test and the Fukuda Stepping test. In the Tandem Romberg test, participants stand with their feet in a heel-to-toe position, and try to maintain balance for 40 sec. In the Fukuda Stepping test, a participant is asked to close his or her eyes and to march in place for 100 steps. The sway and angular deviation of each participant was measured with and without vision and spatial auditory cues. An auditory spatial reference was provided by presenting a broadband noise source from a loudspeaker directly in front of the participant located 1–2 m away. Study Sample: A total of 19 participants (11 women and 8 men; mean age = 27 yr; age range = 18 ˜ 52 yr), voluntarily participated in the experiment. All participants had normal vision, hearing, and vestibular function. Intervention: The primary intervention was the use of a broadband noise source to provide an auditory spatial referent for balance measurements in the Tandem Romberg test and Fukuda Stepping test. Conditions were also tested in which the participants had their eyes opened or closed. Data Collection and Analysis: A head tracker recorded the position of the participant's head for the Tandem Romberg test. The angular deviation of the feet after 100 steps was measured in the Fukuda Stepping test. An average distance or angle moved by the head or feet was calculated relative to the head or feet resting position for each test. The average head sway or angular deviation was measured in an eyes-open condition (no sound), eyes-closed condition (no sound), and an eyes-closed condition with sound. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used for both tests. Results: The results showed a significant benefit in postural stability in both experiments when spatial auditory cues were present (p < .01). For the Tandem Romberg test, the benefit from spatial auditory cues alone is a 9% reduction in mean sway, as compared to 44% from visual cues alone. For the Fukuda Stepping test, the benefit from spatial auditory cues alone is a 76% reduction in mean body sway, as compared to 98% from visual cues alone. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated a connection between spatial hearing and balance. The experiments showed that a single fixed sound source can provide sufficient spatial cues for the central nervous system to better control postural stability. The compensation effect that the vestibular system receives from the auditory cues, however, is weaker than that received from visual cues.

scholarly journals Re-weighting of Sound Localization Cues by Audiovisual Training

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Kumpik ◽  
Connor Campbell ◽  
Jan W.H. Schnupp ◽  
Andrew J King
Keyword(s):  
Sound Localization ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Auditory Localization ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Cue Weighting ◽  
Auditory Spatial Cues ◽  
Interaural Level Differences

AbstractSound localization requires the integration in the brain of auditory spatial cues generated by interactions with the external ears, head and body. Perceptual learning studies have shown that the relative weighting of these cues can change in a context-dependent fashion if their relative reliability is altered. One factor that may influence this process is vision, which tends to dominate localization judgments when both modalities are present and induces a recalibration of auditory space if they become misaligned. It is not known, however, whether vision can alter the weighting of individual auditory localization cues. Using non-individualized head-related transfer functions, we measured changes in subjects’ sound localization biases and binaural localization cue weights after ~55 minutes of training on an audiovisual spatial oddball task. Four different configurations of spatial congruence between visual and auditory cues (interaural time differences (ITDs) and frequency-dependent interaural level differences (interaural level spectra, ILS) were used. When visual cues were spatially congruent with both auditory spatial cues, we observed an improvement in sound localization, as shown by a reduction in the variance of subjects’ localization biases, which was accompanied by an up-weighting of the more salient ILS cue. However, if the position of either one of the auditory cues was randomized during training, no overall improvement in sound localization occurred. Nevertheless, the spatial gain of whichever cue was matched with vision increased, with different effects observed on the gain for the randomized cue depending on whether ITDs or ILS were matched with vision. As a result, we observed a similar up-weighting in ILS when this cue alone was matched with vision, but no overall change in binaural cue weighting when ITDs corresponded to the visual cues and ILS were randomized. Consistently misaligning both cues with vision produced the ventriloquism aftereffect, i.e., a corresponding shift in auditory localization bias, without affecting the variability of the subjects’ sound localization judgments, and no overall change in binaural cue weighting. These data show that visual contextual information can invoke a reweighting of auditory localization cues, although concomitant improvements in sound localization are only likely to accompany training with fully congruent audiovisual information.

Physics-informed Broadband Noise Source Identification and Prediction of an Ideally Twisted Rotor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Thurman ◽  
Nikolas S. Zawodny ◽  
Nicole A. Pettingill ◽  
Leonard V. Lopes ◽  
James D. Baeder
Keyword(s):  
Source Identification ◽  
Noise Source ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Noise Source Identification

POSTURAL STABILITY IN PATIENTS WITH LATENT TRIGGER ZONES OF NECK MUSCULATURE

2019 ◽  
pp. 114-123
Author(s):  
E.R. Mukhametova ◽  
A.D. Militskova ◽  
T.V. Baltina
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Test Group ◽  
Trigger Points ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Pressure Center ◽  
Cervical Muscles ◽  
Equilibrium Function ◽  
Romberg Test

There are many reasons for postural disorder development, but dysfunction of the cervical spine muscles is the most disputable reason. The purpose of the study is to reveal the influence of latent myogenic trigger zones of the cervical muscles on postural resistance. Materials and Methods. The authors used the method of computer posturography. Latent myogenic trigger zones (LMTZs) were determined by an indurated nodule or bundle in the neck muscle and by hyperesthesia in this zona. Assessment of postural resistance in subjects with LMTZs was carried out using standard posturography tests and Romberg test. Both classical and vector indicators were evaluated in a standard sample. Results. In fact, only vector indicators changed significantly in subjects with multiple LMTZs (4 or more). Thus, a decrease in the equilibrium function quality was established, as well as an increase in the average linear velocity of the pressure center and an increase in the normalized vectorogram area if compared with the indices in the control group and the group with sporadic LMTZs (from 1 to 3). The obtained results indicate a postural control decrease in individuals with multiple LMTZs. Subjects with sporadic LMTZs demonstrated a significant decrease in classical and a number of vector indicators, which shows the improvement in postural resistance in this test group. In Romberg test, all subjects with LMTZs, regardless of the zone number, showed an increasd Romberg coefficient. Conclusion. Multiple LMTZs of cervical muscles can reduce postural stability through increased afferentation from the cervical proprioreceptors. It is more obvious during in case of eye control elimination. Keywords: latent myogenic trigger points, postural control, posturography, Romberg test. Выделяют множество причин развития постуральных нарушений, среди которых дисфункция мышц шейного отдела позвоночника является наиболее спорной. Цель исследования. Выявить влияние латентных миогенных триггерных зон шейной мускулатуры на постуральную устойчивость. Материалы и методы. Использовался метод компьютерной стабилографии. Латентные миогенные триггерные зоны (лМТЗ) определялись по наличию в мышце шеи уплотненного узелка или пучка и по повышенной болевой чувствительности в этой области. Оценка постуральной устойчивости у испытуемых с лМТЗ осуществлялась с помощью стандартного стабилографического тестирования и теста Ромберга. В стандартной пробе оценивались как классические, так и векторные показатели. Результаты. Показано, что у испытуемых с множественными лМТЗ (4 и более) достоверно изменяются только векторные показатели. Так, установлено снижение качества функции равновесия, а также повышение средней линейной скорости центра давления и увеличение нормированной площади векторограммы по сравнению показателями в группе контроля и группе с единичными лМТЗ (от 1 до 3), что указывает на снижение постурального контроля у лиц с множественными лМТЗ. У испытуемых с единичными лМТЗ отмечено достоверное снижение классических показателей и ряда векторных, что свидетельствует об улучшении постуральной устойчивости в данной группе испытуемых. В пробе Ромберга все субъекты с лМТЗ независимо от количества последних показали повышение коэффициента Ромберга. Выводы. Множественные лМТЗ шейной мускулатуры могут снизить постуральную устойчивость через усиление афферентации от шейных проприорецепторов, что наиболее выражено при элиминации зрительного контроля. Ключевые слова: латентные миогенные триггерные точки, постуральный контроль, стабилография, тест Ромберга.

scholarly journals Gait Stability Measurement by Using Average Entropy

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 412
Author(s):  
Han-Ping Huang ◽  
Chang Francis Hsu ◽  
Yi-Chih Mao ◽  
Long Hsu ◽  
Sien Chi
Keyword(s):  
Postural Stability ◽  
Multiscale Entropy ◽  
Gait Stability ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Stride Interval ◽  
Step Interval ◽  
Stability Measurement ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Better Than

Gait stability has been measured by using many entropy-based methods. However, the relation between the entropy values and gait stability is worth further investigation. A research reported that average entropy (AE), a measure of disorder, could measure the static standing postural stability better than multiscale entropy and entropy of entropy (EoE), two measures of complexity. This study tested the validity of AE in gait stability measurement from the viewpoint of the disorder. For comparison, another five disorders, the EoE, and two traditional metrics methods were, respectively, used to measure the degrees of disorder and complexity of 10 step interval (SPI) and 79 stride interval (SI) time series, individually. As a result, every one of the 10 participants exhibited a relatively high AE value of the SPI when walking with eyes closed and a relatively low AE value when walking with eyes open. Most of the AE values of the SI of the 53 diseased subjects were greater than those of the 26 healthy subjects. A maximal overall accuracy of AE in differentiating the healthy from the diseased was 91.1%. Similar features also exists on those 5 disorder measurements but do not exist on the EoE values. Nevertheless, the EoE versus AE plot of the SI also exhibits an inverted U relation, consistent with the hypothesis for physiologic signals.

The Role of Visual and Auditory Communication in the Performance of a Joint Team Task

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872082110310
Author(s):  
Adam F. Werner ◽  
Jamie C. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Multiple Resource Theory ◽  
Coupling Mode ◽  
Multiple Resource ◽  
Auditory Cueing ◽  
Performance Trial

Objective This study examines visual, auditory, and the combination of both (bimodal) coupling modes in the performance of a two-person perceptual-motor task, in which one person provides the perceptual inputs and the other the motor inputs. Background Parking a plane or landing a helicopter on a mountain top requires one person to provide motor inputs while another person provides perceptual inputs. Perceptual inputs are communicated either visually, auditorily, or through both cues. Methods One participant drove a remote-controlled car around an obstacle and through a target, while another participant provided auditory, visual, or bimodal cues for steering and acceleration. Difficulty was manipulated using target size. Performance (trial time, path variability), cue rate, and spatial ability were measured. Results Visual coupling outperformed auditory coupling. Bimodal performance was best in the most difficult task condition but also high in the easiest condition. Cue rate predicted performance in all coupling modes. Drivers with lower spatial ability required a faster auditory cue rate, whereas drivers with higher ability performed best with a lower rate. Conclusion Visual cues result in better performance when only one coupling mode is available. As predicted by multiple resource theory, when both cues are available, performance depends more on auditory cueing. In particular, drivers must be able to transform auditory cues into spatial actions. Application Spotters should be trained to provide an appropriate cue rate to match the spatial ability of the driver or pilot. Auditory cues can enhance visual communication when the interpersonal task is visual with spatial outputs.

Design of a 0.1~18GHz High-Power Broadband Noise Source

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikang Zhao ◽  
Tingming Yao ◽  
Xidong Duan ◽  
Guoqing Fan ◽  
Shoumei Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Power ◽  
Noise Source ◽  
Broadband Noise

On the Disruption of Visual Memory: Interference Produced by Visual Report Cues

1976 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Merikle
Keyword(s):  
Visual Memory ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Iconic Representation ◽  
Letter Target ◽  
Memory Interference ◽  
Level Of Processing

Report of single letters from centrally-fixated, seven-letter, target rows was probed by either auditory or visual cues. The target rows were presented for 100 ms, and the report cues were single digits which indicated the spatial location of a letter. In three separate experiments, report was always better with the auditory cues. The advantage for the auditory cues was maintained both when target rows were masked by a patterned stimulus and when the auditory cues were presented 500 ms later than comparable visual cues. The results indicate that visual cues produce modality-specific interference which operates at a level of processing beyond iconic representation.

scholarly journals Endogenous Spatial Attention Modulates the Magnitude of the Colavita Visual Dominance Effect

i-Perception ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 204166952110271
Author(s):  
Aijun Wang ◽  
Heng Zhou ◽  
Yuanyuan Hu ◽  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Tianyang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Dominance Effect ◽  
Uncued Location ◽  
Reaction Time Difference ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Colavita Effect ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Visual Dominance Effect

The Colavita effect refers to the phenomenon wherein people tend to not respond to an auditory stimulus when a visual stimulus is simultaneously presented. Although previous studies have shown that endogenous modality attention influences the Colavita effect, whether the Colavita effect is influenced by endogenous spatial attention remains unknown. In the present study, we established endogenous spatial cues to investigate whether the size of the Colavita effect changes under visual or auditory cues. We measured three indexes to investigate the effect of endogenous spatial attention on the size of the Colavita effect. These three indexes were developed based on the following observations in bimodal trials: (a) The proportion of the “only vision” response was significantly higher than that of the “only audition” response; (b) the proportion of the “vision precedes audition” response was significantly higher than that of the “audition precedes vision” response; and (c) the reaction time difference of the “vision precedes audition” response was significantly higher than that of the “audition precedes vision” response. Our results showed that the Colavita effect was always influenced by endogenous spatial attention and that its size was larger at the cued location than at the uncued location; the cue modality (visual vs. auditory) had no effect on the size of the Colavita effect. Taken together, the present results shed light on how endogenous spatial attention affects the Colavita effect.

The Role of Organizational Development in Achieving the Competitive Advantage of University of Hail as one of the requirements of The vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Nada Zwayyid Almutairi ◽  
Eman Salah Ibrahim Rizk
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Learning Retention ◽  
Lr Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Academic Year

This study explores interactive e-book cues and Information Processing Levels (IPL)’s effectiveness on Learning Retention (LR) and External Cognitive Load (ECL). 117 middle school pupils (MSP) were divided into six experimental groups based on their IPL and cues during the second term of the academic year 2019–2020. Visual Cues (VC)/Audiovisual Cues (VAC) and Auditory Cues (AC)/Audiovisual Cues (VAC) statistically varied in the Ie-book in LR test and ECL scale, same for the average scores when testing the LR in Science for MSP due to the difference between IPL for the DL. There is a statistically significant effect of cue types' interaction in Ie-book with IPL in ECL scale for MSP, at its highest peak in the case of the AVC with DL, followed by the interaction resulting from the VC with DL then AC with SL. Also, cues interaction in Ie-book with IPL immensely affect the LR test for MEP, which is at its highest peak in the case of the AVC with DL. The interactions between (DL–SL) and (AC–VC) seem to equally influence the ELC.

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