Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The perception of self-motion is guided by the integration of different sensory information, including visual, vestibular (inner-ears), and proprioceptive (position of the muscles and joints) cues. Information delivered by these senses is typically congruent, giving rise to a global, accurate perception of movement through space. However, under certain circumstances illusory self-motion or vection (i.e., self-motion perception despite the absence of real, physical movement) can also be experienced. An example for vection in real-world situation is the train illusion, whereby sitting in a stationary train and seeing a neighboring train moving creates the illusion that one's own train is moving. Vection can also be observed in situations that stimulate a large proportion of the visual field, such as in simulators or virtual reality (VR) and plays an important role in these applications. The neuro-cognitive fundaments of vection are still unknown. The overall goal of this research program is to fill this gap by combining psychophysiological and behavioral methods. The specific objectives include: (1) Identifying the temporal and spatial aspects of cortical activity during the perception of vection using electroencephalography (EEG). (2) Investigating how the combination of multisensory cues (visual, auditory, haptic) affects the neuro-cognitive responses with respect to vection. (3) Determining the extent to which cognitive aspects, e.g. contextual information, influence vection and its detection in the EEG. This research program will be conducted using two immersive VR laboratories that are part of Toronto Rehabilitation Institute's research facilities: StreetLab, equipped with a large, curved projection screen with floor projection and surround sound; and, StereoProLab, which offers stereoscopic projection of images onto a large screen and an array of multiple screens covering a large proportion of the visual field. Both facilities have been proven to reliably generate vection and will allow to systematically manipulate sensory information. Vection will be measured through self-reports (vection onset, offset, duration, and intensity). A 32-channel EEG system will be used in both laboratories to measure brain activity during phases of vection. This research will have impact on multiple levels: (1) Improving the theoretical understanding of vection. (2) Identification of objective neuro-cognitive markers that correlate with the subjective experience of vection. (3) Development of applications that use virtual environments where vection is often a desired phenomenon, e.g. the use of VR in the context of training and rehabilitation.