Effect of Vestibular Perceptual Learning on Vestibular Thresholds and Balance

Summary

The intervention being studied is a minimal risk perceptual learning protocol delivered in an academic laboratory setting; the goal of the intervention is to improve the perception of passive whole-body tilts and/or translations, as well as balance, by providing feedback following passive tilts or translations of the body. The protocol lasts a total of \~45 days: Day 1 includes a pre-test assessment of perception and balance, as well as 100 repetitions of training, Days 2-7 each include 400 repetitions of training, and Day 6 includes only post-test assessments of perception and balance.

Description

Eligibility

Age range

65–89 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Roll Tilt Training

  The participants will be tilted and asked to indicate their perceived direction of self-motion (e.g., left or right). Feedback will be provided to promote learning (i.e., improved perception of motion). Feedback will only be provided after the subject response, and thus vestibular (i.e., self-motion) perception is required to judge the direction of the tilt stimulus. After each trial, a three second period of rest will be given. Each day of training will include four blocks of one-hundred trials each. Testing will take place in the dark (except for aims where a visual cue is provided). Subjects will be seated on a motion platform with a 5-point harness and the head restrained. Insert earbuds (along with a white noise signal) will be used to reduce external noise. Subjects will always be asked to make a decision (e.g. left versus right) by pressing buttons with their left or right hands. If not certain, subjects are instructed to provide their best guess.

• Behavioral
  Translation Training

  The participants will be translated and asked to indicate their perceived direction of self-motion (e.g., left or right). Feedback will be provided to promote learning (i.e., improved perception of motion). Feedback will only be provided after the subject responds, and thus vestibular (i.e., self-motion) perception is required to judge the direction of the translation stimulus. After each trial, a three second period of rest will be given. Each day of training will include four blocks of one hundred trials each. Testing will take place in the dark (except for aims where a visual cue is provided). Subjects will be seated on a motion platform with a 5-point harness and the head restrained. Insert earbuds (along with a white noise signal) will be used to reduce external noise. Subjects will always be asked to make a decision (e.g. left versus right) by pressing buttons with their left or right hands. If not certain, subjects are instructed to provide their best guess.

• Behavioral

Location