Long-term dance training modifies eye-head coordination in response to passive head impulse.

Long-term dance training is known to improve postural control, especially in challenging postural tasks. However, the effect of dance training on the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) has yet to be properly assessed. This study directly investigated whether VOR parameters are influenced by long-term dance training by testing dancers and controls using the video head impulse test. VOR gains using two of the most common methods (area ratio and instantaneous gains), latency and amplitude of the first saccade, if applicable, were computed. Results revealed a larger VOR gain as measured by area gain and by instantaneous gain at 40ms specifically for left head impulses, but not for right head impulses. No significant differences in saccade frequency, amplitude or latency were observed between groups. These differences appear to stem from a modified eye to head relationship during high velocity head impulses in dancers. More specifically, the dancers' eyes lead head movement during passively applied head impulses, which result in higher VOR gain.