Verticality Perception Assessed by the Haptic Vertical

Verticality Perception - Modulatory Effect of a Rotating Optokinetic Stimulus on the Haptic Vertical in Healthy Human Subjects

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02980432

Enrollment

Registered

2016-12-02

Start date

2016-10-31

Completion date

2018-06-28

Last updated

2018-07-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

vestibular, spatial orientation, vision, optokinetic

Brief summary

The investigators previously shown that a rotating optokinetic stimulus results in shifts of the subjective visual vertical in healthy human subjects. However, the origin of these shifts is still poorly understood. Both torsional displacement of the eyes and a shift in the internal estimate of direction of gravity have been proposed as potential explanations. Here the investigators use a vision-independent setup to differentiate between these two hypotheses, predicting no impact of a rotating stimulus on the subjective haptic vertical if torsion triggers the shift.

Interventions

OTHERchanges in whole-body roll position and visual/haptic stimuli presented

In different whole-body roll positions subjects will be presented a luminous line or a rod in combination with a moving or stationary background. Participants will be asked to align the line or the rod along perceived direction of gravity.

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* ages 18-65 years * informed consent * absence of

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Adjustment errors of aligning a rod along perceived direction of gravity while an optokinetic stimulus is presented.	60 minutes	This outcome parameter focuses on the adjustment errors of the subjective haptic vertical while presenting a visual bias (i.e. an optokinetic rotatory stimulus).
Trial-to-trial variability of aligning a rod along perceived direction of gravity while an optokinetic stimulus is presented.	60 minutes	This outcome parameter focuses on the trial-to-trial variability of rod alignments along perceived direction of gravity when presenting a visual bias cue (i.e. an optokinetic rotatory stimulus).

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Comparison of adjustment errors between the subjective haptic vertical and the subjective visual vertical	60 minutes
Comparison of adjustment errors of perceived vertical using the subjective haptic vertical with and without presenting an optokinetic stimulus	60 minutes

Countries

Switzerland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026