AbstractAccurate gaze control - coordinating head and eye orientation - is essential for effective movement, yet during locomotion the self-generated, phasic head motions accompanying each step destabilize the visual scene. The vestibular system acts to counter these disturbances by sensing head motion and generating rapid reflexes that stabilize posture and vision, but its specific contribution to gaze...
No actionable practice change; this is foundational animal neuroscience confirming vestibular primacy in gaze stabilization, relevant as background science for vestibular rehabilitation concepts.
Confirming vestibular primacy in gaze stabilization during real locomotion strengthens the scientific foundation for vestibular rehabilitation strategies targeting the vestibulo-ocular reflex.
- 01Vestibular function is the primary driver of gaze stability during locomotion-induced head movements in macaques.
- 02Study used freely locomoting (moving) macaques, adding ecological validity over head-restrained models.
- 03Phasic (short, rhythmic) head movements during self-generated locomotion were specifically examined.
- 04Findings reinforce the centrality of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in real-world gaze control.
- 05Published in Journal of Neuroscience (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0423-26.2026).
Vestibular function is the primary driver of gaze stability during self-generated, phasic head movements in locomoting macaques.
studysupported- PMID
- 42399106
- DOI
- 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0423-26.2026.
- Journal
- Journal of Neuroscience
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Freely locomoting macaques
- Intervention
- Observation of vestibular contributions to gaze stability during self-generated locomotion
Primary outcomes
Gaze stability during self-generated phasic head movements; Relative contribution of vestibular function to gaze stabilization