Gravity Sensation
Gravity Sensation - Related Videos
11:32
Perspectives on Sensation and Perception
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2023
Source: Laboratory of Jonathan Flombaum—Johns Hopkins University The study of sensation—how signals are transduced from sensory organs, like the eyes—and perception—how the brain interprets these messages—has a rich history dating back to the 19th century, when great strides were made in understanding the properties of light and how they relate to the visual system. Importantly, such sensory and perceptual processes determine what we see, feel, taste, and hear in our surroundings. However, many...
07:54
Design, Fabrication, and Administration of the Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe)
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Cited by 1 •
2015
The Hand Active Sensation Test (HASTe) is a valid and reliable measure of haptic performance, which has been used successfully to identify impaired haptic touch in individuals with stroke. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design, fabrication and administration of the HASTe.
08:39
Operant Sensation Seeking in the Mouse
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Cited by 27 •
2010
In this protocol we describe a method of operant learning using sensory stimuli as a reinforcer in the mouse. It requires no prior training or food restriction, and it allows the study of motivated behavior without the use of a pharmacological or natural reinforcer such as food.
01:21
Sensation
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2024
Sensory receptors are specialized neurons that respond to specific types of external stimuli, initiating the process known as sensation. This occurs when sensory input, such as light entering the eye, is detected by these receptors, causing chemical changes in the cells of the retina. These cells then convert the sensory stimulus into action potentials that are transmitted to the central nervous system, a process termed transduction. Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...
02:26
Responses to Gravity and Touch
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2020
Gravitropism: Plant Responses to Gravity Higher plants sense gravity using statocytes, cells found near the vascular tissue in shoots, and in the root cap columella in roots. Statocytes contain starch-filled organelles called statoliths. The statoliths settle, or sediment, at the bottom of the statocyte in the direction of gravity. Statolith sedimentation triggers a signaling cascade, resulting in the asymmetrical distribution of the plant hormone auxin across root and shoot tips. This...
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The otolith organs respond because dense otoconia shift relative to sensory hair cells when the head changes position or the body experiences linear acceleration. That mechanical shift alters hair-cell signaling, allowing the nervous system to encode changes relevant to orientation. The resulting signals contribute to behavioral control of posture, balance, locomotion, and spatial orientation rather than serving as an isolated sensory measurement.
Gravity sensation becomes behaviorally useful through integration with vision and proprioception, the sense of body position derived from the body itself. These additional cues can supplement vestibular information when one signal is incomplete, or reveal a mismatch when cues disagree. Such multisensory comparison helps explain why orientation and movement may be disrupted even when the vestibular organs continue generating signals.
Altered gravity changes the relationship between otoconia, head position, and the forces normally interpreted by the vestibular system. Conflicting sensory information can therefore challenge the neural signals used for orientation and movement. In behavioral terms, this mismatch may produce disorientation or motion sickness, making altered-gravity settings useful for examining how organisms adapt their sensorimotor responses.
Researchers can evaluate gravity-related behavior by examining how organisms maintain balance, posture, locomotion, and spatial orientation under ordinary or altered sensory conditions. Comparing performance when vestibular, visual, or proprioceptive information is consistent versus conflicting helps separate the contribution of each cue. This approach links sensory signals to observable behavior without treating any single sensory system as sufficient.
In behavior research, gravity sensation is especially relevant when an organism must stabilize its body or move through space. Otolith-derived signals provide information that supports postural control and locomotion, while vision and proprioception add contextual information. Studying the resulting actions can reveal how sensory inputs are converted into coordinated behavior, including orientation decisions and adjustments needed for balance.
The topic connects behavioral science with vestibular disorders and spaceflight research. In vestibular disorders, altered or unreliable signals can affect balance and spatial orientation; in spaceflight, changed gravity provides a context for studying adaptation. These applications help researchers examine how sensorimotor integration supports behavior when the usual relationship between gravitational cues and body control is disturbed.