Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Phase-Linking And The Perceived Motion During Off-Vertical Axis Rotation, Jan E. Holly, Scott J. Wood, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

Human off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) in the dark typically produces perceived motion about a cone, the amplitude of which changes as a function of frequency. This perception is commonly attributed to the fact that both the OVAR and the conical motion have a gravity vector that rotates about the subject. Little-known, however, is that this rotating-gravity explanation for perceived conical motion is inconsistent with basic observations about self-motion perception: (a) that the perceived vertical moves toward alignment with the gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA) and (b) that perceived translation arises from perceived linear acceleration, as derived from the portion of the GIA …

Head Tilt-Translation Combinations Distinguished At The Level Of Neurons, Jan E. Holly, Sarah E. Pierce, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

Angular and linear accelerations of the head occur throughout everyday life, whether from external forces such as in a vehicle or from volitional head movements. The relative timing of the angular and linear components of motion differs depending on the movement. The inner ear detects the angular and linear components with its semicircular canals and otolith organs, respectively, and secondary neurons in the vestibular nuclei receive input from these vestibular organs. Many secondary neurons receive both angular and linear input. Linear information alone does not distinguish between translational linear acceleration and angular tilt, with its gravity-induced change in the linear …

Sensorimotor Coordination And The Structure Of Space, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

Embedded in neural and behavioral organization is a structure of sensorimotor space. Both this embedded spatial structure and the structure of physical space inform sensorimotor control. This paper reviews studies in which the gravitational vertical and horizontal are crucial. The mathematical expressions of spatial geometry in these studies indicate methods for investigating sensorimotor control in freefall.

In freefall, the spatial structure introduced by gravitation – the distinction between vertical and horizontal – does not exist. However, an astronaut arriving in space carries the physiologically-embedded distinction between horizontal and vertical learned on earth. The physiological organization based on this distinction collapses …

Sensory And Motor Interdependence In Postural Adjustments, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

The sensory reafference from a movement depends upon the movement, and the movement chosen depends upon the available senses, as demonstrated by vestibular patients who abandon certain movements. Often, one variable is assumed to be dependent whereas the other is independent; however, sensory and motor dynamics in posture are interdependent as conditions upon each other. This paper applies conditional dynamics to characterize the global structure of interdependence between sensory states and motor strategies in fast postural adjustments. The mathematical formalism incorporates rich but disparate experimental, clinical, and theoretical results about sensory and motor control of posture.

The control structures presented …

The Shape Of Self-Motion Perception. Ii. Framework And Principles For Simple And Complex Motions, Jan E. Holly, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

There have been numerous experimental studies on human perception and misperception of self-motion and orientation relative to the earth, each focusing on one or a few types of motion. We present a formal framework encompassing many types of motion and including all angular and linear components of velocity and acceleration. Using a mathematically rigorous presentation, the framework defines the space of all possible motions, the map from motion to sensor status, the space containing each possible status of the sensors, and the map from sensor status to perceived motion. The shape of the full perceptual map from actual motion to …

The Stomatogastric Nervous System: A Formal Approach, Patrick D. Roberts, Gin Mccollum

Gin McCollum

A discrete mathematical formalism (d-space) which is specifically designed to investigate discrete aspects of behavior is applied to the foregut of decapod crustacea. This approach differs from continuous modeling techniques in that the analysis determines a structure in which the observed behavior of the foregut is constrained. A notation for the implementation of the formalism is developed as well as a coordinate system natural to the functioning of the gastric mill. The formalism is used to organize previous observations that suggest potential courses of further experimental investigation. A detailed analysis of observed chewing modes of the gastric mill is presented, …