Contribution of vision and tactile sensation on body sway during quiet stance

Abstract

[Purpose] This study examines the contribution of vision and tactile sensation on body sway during quiet stance. [Participants and Methods] Sixteen healthy participants maintained quiet stance. The mean distance between the neutral center of pressure (COP) and that at the peak deviated position, indicating how quickly humans initiate the swaying of the body back to the neutral position, was calculated (COPpeak). [Results] The displacement of the COP in both the anterior–posterior and medial–lateral axes was greater when vision was occluded. The anterior or posterior COPpeak was also greater when vision was occluded. The leftward COPpeak was greater when the tactile sensation of the sole was masked. Visual occlusion decreased the tactile perception threshold of the sole. There was no significant interaction between the effect of vision and that of tactile sensation on body sway during quiet stance. [Conclusion] Vision plays a role in returning the body to the neutral position, particularly in the anterior–posterior axis. Tactile sensation contributes particularly to recovery from the leftward body sway during quiet stance. Tactile sensitivity is enhanced by visual occlusion through inter-modal reweighting. However, inter-modal reweighting between vision and tactile sensation is not specifically for postural control during quiet stance.