Frame of reference for describing space in defining the 'straight Ahead' position in humans

摘要

According to current views, the perception of space and the organization of movements are supported by neural mechanisms describing space in different frames of reference: fixed relative to the trunk and its parts or relative to an external space. We report here our studies to identify the frame of reference relative to which the position of an object "straight ahead" is defined by the subject on rotation of the head to the right or left. The preferences of different people for frames of reference fixed either relative to the trunk or relative to the head were identified. Head rotations to the right and left were found to have different influences on definition of the subjective "straight ahead" position, which appeared to be associated with the interhemisphere characteristics of the perception of space.