Biomedical subjects

Yann Coello

Publications and source records attributed to Yann Coello.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Apparent motion cues distort object localisation in egocentric space.

The visual localisation of objects in space is thought to rely on retinal information defining the environmental context and non-retinal cues from proprioception and motor commands. Here, the influence of dynamic contextual cues on the perception of egocentric space in a reaching task was investigated. Compared to performances with realistic motion or static cues, target localisation was less accurate when apparent motion was used to provide contextual information about space between the hand and the target. This effect could not be explained by the 'presence' of motion, or a bias in depth perception. Since the distortion was connected with the reaching area it was concluded that cognitive factors can unconsciously influence the perception of egocentric space, in particular distance estimation. We propose a mechanism for this whereby signals from areas MT/MST (middle temporal/medial superior temporal) create a perceptual bias through cortico-cortical connections with posterior parietal cortex.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Frame of reference and adaptation to directional bias in a video-controlled reaching task.

The present study (N=56) investigated spatio-temporal accuracy of horizontal reaching movements controlled visually through a vertical video monitor. Direct vision of the hand was precluded and the direction of hand trajectory, as perceived on the video screen, was varied by changing the angle of the camera. The orientation of the visual scene displayed on the fronto-parallel plane was thus congruent (0 degrees condition) or non-congruent (directional bias of 15 degrees, 30 degrees or 45 degrees counterclockwise) according to the horizontal working space. The goal of this study was to determine whether local learning of a directional bias can be transferred to other locations in the working space, but taking into account the magnitude of the directional bias (15 degrees, 30 degrees or 45 degrees ), and the position of the successive objectives (targets at different distances (TDD) or different azimuths (TDA)). Analysis of the spatial accuracy of pointing movements showed that when introducing a directional bias, terminal angular error was linearly related to the amount of angular perturbation (around 30%). Seven trials were, on average, necessary to eliminate this terminal error, whatever the magnitude of the directional bias and the position of the successive targets. When changing the location of the spatial objective, transfer of adaptation was achieved in the TDD condition but remained partial in the TDA condition. Furthermore, initial orientation of the trajectory suggested that some participants used a hand-centred frame of reference whereas others used an external one to specify movement vector. The adaptation process differed as a function of the frame of reference used, but only in the TDA condition. Adaptation for participants using a hand-centred frame of reference was more concerned with changes in the shape of the trajectory, whereas participants using an external frame of reference adapted their movement by up-dating the initial direction of hand trajectory. As a whole, these findings suggest that the processes involved in remote visual control of hand movement are complex with the result that tasks requiring video-controlled manipulation like video-controlled surgery require specific spatial abilities in actors and consequential plasticity of their visuo-motor system, in particular concerning the selection of the frame of reference for action.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2002

Retinal and extra-retinal contribution to position coding.

Though considerable effort has been expended on demonstrating the importance of extraretinal cues in distance perception (e.g. state of vergence), recent studies have shown that enriching the visual image brings about a decrease of perceptual underestimation of distance as observed otherwise, providing that contextual information is situated in the proximal space with regard to target position. The fact that a similar effect was observed when viewing monocularly was suggesting a prevalence of retinal input in distance coding. The present study, investigating reaching movements performed monocularly or binocularly in three successive visual scenes (dark-structured-dark), gave evidence for this assumption. Whatever the vision condition, a dark environment gave rise to an underestimation of target distance, which disappeared instantaneously when a structured background was unexpectedly provided. The sudden return to the dark condition resulted in a progressive drift towards underestimation. These findings strongly suggest that structured retinal information influences widely the perception of target distance. They show in addition that retinal signals may contribute to the calibration of non-retinal sources of information. The putative implication of the posterior parietal cortex in this dual influence is discussed.

Adult↗