Cortical responses of human to linear and circular whole-body motion: a Near-Infrared Spectroscopy study

Abstract

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive functional brain imaging technology which could monitor the hemodynamic changes in the brain cortical regions. It is especially suitable to be applied in studying the brain response to physical movement due to its portability. Vestibular system is responsible for detecting the accelerations of head motion. The perceived motion from vestibular system is a key element in the etiology of motion sickness. Studies have shown that even during visually induced motion sickness, vestibular cortex is involved. Meanwhile the brain response to different kinds of physical motion is poorly documented. Some studies even suggested that the exact areas of vestibular cortex are not known. This study will investigate the cortical response of human to different kinds of physical motion.