Sensory Down-Weighting in Visual-Postural Coupling Is Linked With Lower Cybersickness

Abstract

Sensory dynamics can be reshaped by environmental interaction, allowing adaptation to altered or unfamiliar conditions that would otherwise provoke challenges for the central nervous system. One such condition occurs in virtual reality, where sensory conflict is thought to induce cybersickness. Although the sensory re-weighting process is likely to underlie adaptation to cybersickness, evidence of a link between sensory re-weighting dynamics and cybersickness is rare. Here, we characterize the relationship between sensory re-weighting in a balance control task and cybersickness. Participants were exposed to visual oscillation while standing in tandem stance. The sway path length of the center of pressure (COP) was measured and averaged for each level of visual oscillation, and a ratio was computed between high and low oscillation magnitudes to reflect the relative contributions of multiple sensory sources of information concerning balance control. Results showed a significant relationship between the magnitude dependency of sway and common sub-scales of cybersickness: disorientation [r (21) = 0.45, p = 0.028] and oculomotor discomfort [r (21) = 0.45, p = 0.033]. We conclude that participants who reported less cybersickness were better-able to down-weight visual information at high magnitude oscillations, thus demonstrating a lower dependency between sway and visual magnitude. The results confirm the utility of balance control as an indicator of cybersickness, and support the role of multisensory re-weighting in determining an individual's tolerance to VR applications.

Field (In)dependence Flexibility Following a Virtual Immersion Is Associated With Cybersickness and Sense of Presence

“…In the present study, mismatch between visual cues and other sensory channels may have induced an evolution toward a less visually dependent multisensory integration and thus a shift toward FI. This interpretation is in line with the suggested prevalence of visual incoherence in cybersickness (LaViola, 2000;Bos et al, 2008;Shafer et al, 2017) and with other recent discussions on the role of sensory re-weighting (Mahboobin et al, 2005;Pavlou et al, 2011;Scotto Di Cesare et al, 2015;Weech et al, 2020). It seems important to note that sensory re-weighting is also often associated with postural adjustments (Weech et al, 2020), which is very interesting considering the theory of motion sickness for which postural instability precedes the emergence of symptoms (Stoffregen and Smart, 1998).…”

“…Based on this, we propose that the FDI flexibility observed here results from sensory re-weighting (i.e., adaptative response) in order to cope with a poor subjective experience of VR. Indeed, considering the solid literature discussing the links between perceptive mismatch and motion sickness (Reason and Brand, 1975;Oman, 1990;Rebenitsch and Owen, 2016), between perceptive mismatch and sensory re-weighting (Bray et al, 2004;Oman and Cullen, 2014;Mahboobin et al, 2005;Weech et al, 2018Weech et al, ,2020 and between FDI and perceptive mismatch (Kennedy, 1975;Cian et al, 2011), it seems coherent to interpret the shift toward FI as a sensory re-weighting compensatory mechanism. According to this view, internal models, in a situation of perceptive mismatch, might trigger a change of FDI (i.e., perceptive style) in order to cope with sensory incongruence, notably by reducing the processing and weight of problematic cues.…”

“…Recent development using automation and notably machine learning might be of help for future research as the measures of temporal dimensions are facilitated by these tools (Ochs et al, 2018). In the same vein, the use of continuous postural cues (Pavlou et al, 2011;Weech et al, 2020) or standard longitudinal studies could provide insights into the long-term impact of the individual's flexibility of perceptive style.…”

“…A neurophysiological basis for this sensory re-weighting process has notably been outlined (Andersen and Buneo, 2003;Medendorp et al, 2018), and it is suggested as playing a crucial role in coping with perceptive mismatch through an update of the internal model (Oman, 1990;Oman and Cullen, 2014). In addition, sensory reweighting has been found to be associated with the particularly visually induced motion sickness, that is, cybersickness (Weech et al, 2018;Weech et al, 2020).…”

Stroboscopic lighting with intensity synchronized to rotation velocity alleviates motion sickness gastrointestinal symptoms and motor disorders in rats

“…According to the multisensory integration theory, the weighting of visual cue might increase due to the unreliable of vestibular cue during passive motion stimulation (Angelaki et al, 2011 ; Carriot et al, 2015 ). As decreasing visual weighting relative to vestibular seems to be protective against virtual reality MS in physically stationary individuals when viewing unreliable and compelling visual scene, it is reasonable to speculate that increasing visual weighting to achieve visual-vestibular re-balance might help to counteract classical MS induced by unreliable vestibular cue of passive movement in the absence of corresponding visual input (Hettinger and Riccio, 1992 ; Weech et al, 2020 ). Based on this evidence, our results strongly suggested that providing stroboscopic light that provides visual cues relevant for motion pattern of the body might attenuate MS possibly via reducing brain prediction error when visual weighting is increased during passive motion stimulation.…”