E. Golomer et al., Visual contribution to self-induced body sway frequencies and visual perception of male professional dancers, NEUROSCI L, 267(3), 1999, pp. 189-192
We studied the degree of dependence on vision, for postural control and for
perception, among male adult dancers and untrained subjects. First, body s
ways were analyzed on a free seesaw platform. Fast Fourier transform proces
sing allowed spectral frequency analysis of the platform sways recorded by
an accelerometer. Secondly, a visual dependence test, the rod and frame tes
t (RFT) was used. Professional dancers were significantly more stable and l
ess dependent on vision for postural control and for perception than untrai
ned subjects. Presumably, professional dance training strengthens the accur
acy of proprioceptive inputs and shifts sensorimotor dominance from vision
to proprioception. For the dancers, there was interaction between the RFT v
isual dependence and the visual control of posture: the less visual-depende
nt they were for the RFT, the more stable they were in dynamic balance cond
itions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.