<b>Modality-specific effects of threat on self-motion perception</b>

BackgroundThreat and individual differences in threat-processing bias perception of stimuli in the environment. Yet, their effect on perception of one’s own (body-based) self-motion in space is unknown. Here, we tested the effects of threat on self-motion perception using a multisensory motion simulator with concurrent threatening or neutral auditory stimuli.ResultsStrikingly, threat had opposite effects on vestibular and visual self-motion perception, leading to overestimation of vestibular, but underestimation of visual self-motions. Trait anxiety tended to be associated with an enhanced effect of threat on estimates of self-motion for both modalities.ConclusionsEnhanced vestibular perception under threat might stem from shared neural substrates with emotional processing; whereas diminished visual self-motion perception may indicate that a threatening stimulus diverts attention away from optic flow integration. Thus, threat induces modality-specific biases in everyday experiences of self-motion.研究背景 威胁情境与个体在威胁加工偏向层面的差异会影响个体对环境中刺激的感知，但此类因素对个体自身基于躯体的空间自我运动感知的影响尚不明确。本研究借助同步搭载威胁性或中性听觉刺激的多感官运动模拟器，探究了威胁对自我运动感知的影响。研究结果 令人意外的是，威胁对前庭（vestibular）与视觉两种感官模态的自我运动感知产生了截然相反的影响：会导致前庭自我运动感知出现高估，却引发视觉自我运动感知的低估。特质焦虑（trait anxiety）往往与威胁对两种感官模态下自我运动评估的增强效应存在关联。研究结论 威胁情境下前庭感知的增强，或许源于其与情绪加工共享的神经基础；而视觉自我运动感知的减弱，则可能表明威胁性刺激将注意力从视觉光流（optic flow）整合过程中转移开来。综上，威胁会在个体日常的自我运动体验中引发感官模态特异性的感知偏差。