Posturography as Biomarker of Oculomotor and Postural Control Integration

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Determine the effects looking in certain direction or moving the eyes in a certain way have on the ability of a subject to maintain equilibrium in different circumstances (eyes open/closed, and standing on hard or compliant surface, with the head straight or rotated right or left, flexed or extended).

Detailed Description
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Subjects will undergo computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) testing using the extended modified Clinical Testing of Sensory Integration in Balance (ext_mCTSIB) protocol: the subjects will be required to stand on a hard or the compliant surface in a comfortable posture, feet shoulder width, with eyes open or closed, arms to the side and free to move, gazing forward, and breathing normally, with head straight, turned right or left, flexed or extended. This testing will be used to determine the health status of the subjects. Then a sequence of tests will be performed (they could be done in different days to avoid fatiguing the subject): each sequence will comprise of a baseline test in one of the ext_mCTSIB testing conditions and a subsequent test in the same conditions but with an oculomotor additional task, such as gazing in a specific direction other than straight, performing saccades in different directions, at different speed and using different paradigms (prosaccades, antisaccades, to a remembered target, gap saccades, …), following a target moving on the screen at different speed and in different directions, receiving an optokinetic stimulation in different directions and at different speeds. Video recordings of the eyes movement may be done to make sure that the subject is actually moving the eyes, to verify that the observers are well trained to detect and count the saccadic movements, as well as to obtain quantitative information regarding the eye movements per se.

Official Title
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Posturography as Biomarker of Oculomotor and Postural Control Integration

Conditions
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Postural Balance

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: posturographic evaluation


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Self assessed healthy subjects Exclusion Criteria: subjects suffering from pathology known to affect balance

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: subjects<br>participant undergoing posturographic evaluation | Other: posturographic evaluation<br>* subjects will undergo CDP testing using one of the ext_mCTSIB tests without (baseline) and with oculomotor task<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stability Score | The Stability Score (calculated as percentage ratio of the actual sway and the theoretical limit of stability) will be used to investigate if there is any difference between the test without and with oculomotor task. Statistical tools such t-tests and correlation coefficients will be used to assess if there is a difference between the two tests | immediately after data collection | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| average velocity moment [mm^2/s] | The average velocity moment (calculated as as the product of sway velocity path length) will be used to investigate if there is any difference between the test without and with oculomotor task. Statistical tools such t-tests and correlation coefficients will be used to assess if there is a difference between the two tests | immediately after data collection | 
| sway path length [mm] | The sway path length (the distance traveled during the test) will be used to investigate if there is any difference between the test without and with oculomotor task. Statistical tools such t-tests and correlation coefficients will be used to assess if there is a difference between the two tests | immediately after data collection | 
| frequency content [Hz] | The frequency content (calculated using FFT) will be used to investigate if there is any difference between the test without and with oculomotor task. Statistical tools such t-tests and correlation coefficients will be used to assess if there is a difference between the two tests | immediately after data collection | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Postural Equilibrium, Musculoskeletal Equilibrium, Eye Movements, Saccades, Pursuit, Smooth