Abstract :
[en] Can autonomic reflexes inform us about higher-order cognitive processes ? To address this issue, we studied habituation (a form of non-associative learning) of the slow, uncontrolled eye movement response (nystagmus) following repetitive caloric (warm water) vestibular irrigation. After a 30s irrigation trial (total trials=6), participants (n=26) either kept their gaze fixated, or let their gaze free, testing voluntary adaptations of the nystagmus response measured with electrooculography (EOG). Participants also reported the intensity of the vertigo that they experienced after each irrigation. We found that the amplitude of the nystagmus response decreased over repetitive irrigations, revealing a clear habituation (repeated measures ANOVA with participants as random factor, F(5)=-18.8, p<0.001). We further showed that the amplitude of nystagmus is reduced after the gaze fixation condition compared to the freely moving gaze (interaction between irrigation and fixation, F(5,1)=5.1, p=0.025). Finally, by relying on a model comparison approach, we demonstrate that the oculomotor response holds partial information on the decrease of the vertigo experienced over successive irrigations, suggesting a bi-directional interaction between central and autonomic processes (Likelihood-ratio chi-squared test between mixed-models predicting vertigo response and including or excluding the duration of nystagmus, 𝜒2(12)=11.96, p=0.013). These findings suggest that reflexes carry partial information about voluntary processes. From the interoceptive active inference framework, these results might be relevant for evidencing signs of sentience when this cannot be communicated overtly.
