Effect of mechanic stimulation of foot support zones during seven-day dry immersion on the immersion-induced changes in ocular saccade kinematics

The purpose of the study was to determine how daily sessions of mechanic stimulation (MS) of foot support zones intended for mitigating the effect of the lack of support on the postural muscles influence ocular saccades during prolonged support deprivation. Four control subjects and four subjects receiving MS of foot support zones (experimental group) performed the test of rapid blanking of a light target appearing at the visual field periphery. The test was carried out before and immediately after seven-day dry immersion. Eye movements were traced using their infrared images recorded at a frequency of 200 Hz. Analysis of normalized and pooled data showed that MS of foot support zones during seven-day dry immersion significantly moderated the changes in ocular saccade kinematics resulting from support load deprivation. This confirms the involvement of support afferent input in the sensory contribution to the mechanisms of ocular saccade generation.