Vision as a Function of the Gait Cycle
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Authors
Szekely, Brian J.
Issue Date
2024
Type
Dissertation
Language
Keywords
Active Vision , Eye Tracking , Head Tracking , Step Cycle , Stride Cycle
Alternative Title
Abstract
The human visual system plays a crucial role in guiding locomotion, enabling us to navigate the world and interact with our environment. As we navigate, we must stabilize the world on the eye. If we fail to stabilize the image on the eye, it will result in reduced visual acuity. There are physical and neural mechanisms that perform image stabilization within the brain. The brain may be able to leverage the periodicity of movement and neural activity during locomotion. This periodicity may allow the brain to predict the future movement of body movements, potentially negating excessive amounts of force on the body that would destabilize the image on the eye. However, these mechanisms underlying the coordination of vision and movement during walking are not yet fully understood. In this dissertation, I present work that evaluates the periodicity of vision during walking, both perceptually and with eye movement analyses. The act of walking does not seem to affect visual perception, namely contrast sensitivity and binocular rivalry. However, across the stride cycle we observed that periods of high transient force, such as when the heel hits the ground, cause increases in eye velocity and decreases in contrast sensitivity. In binocular rivalry, we observed that the dynamics were influenced by the heel strike and toe-off phases of the step cycle. Furthermore, walking speed may also play a role in affecting the dynamics of binocular rivalry. We then developed software for tracking head and eye movements in natural environments. We were able to bin the head and eye data as a function of the step cycle. In summary, we observed that the periodicity of locomotion affects eye and head movements, as well as visual perception. This dissertation provides valuable insights into sensory information integration during locomotion.
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License
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International