Low vision impairs implicit sensorimotor adaptation in response to small errors, but not large errors

Abstract

AbstractSuccessful goal-directed actions require constant fine-tuning of the motor system. This fine-tuning is thought to rely on an implicit adaptation process that is driven by sensory prediction errors (i.e., where you see your hand after reaching versus where you expected it to be). Individuals with low vision experience challenges with visuomotor control, but whether they also experience challenges with implicit adaptation is unknown. To explore this question, we assessed individuals with low vision and matched controls with normal vision on a visuomotor task designed to isolate implicit adaptation. We found that low vision was associated with attenuated implicit adaptation only for small visual errors, but not large visual errors. This result not only underscores an unappreciated motor learning impairment associated with low vision, but also highlights an important constraint on how low-fidelity visual information is processed by the nervous system to enable successful implicit adaptation.New and NoteworthyWhether implicit adaptation is also impacted by visual uncertainty intrinsic to the nervous system remains unknown. To test this, we examined 20 people who live with visual uncertainty in daily life due to low vision on a visuomotor task that isolates implicit adaptation. We found that low vision attenuates adaptation in response to small errors only, paving the way for new developments in rehabilitation and assistive devices for individuals with sensory impairments.