Equilibrioception

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Equilibrioception

Equilibrioception or sense of balance
Balance (ability)

In biomechanics, balance is an ability to maintain the center of gravity of a body within the base of support with minimal postural sway.Keeping balance requires integration of inputs from multiple senses with the motor system responsible for muscle actions....
is one of the physiological

Physiology

Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. Physiology has traditionally been divided between plant physiology and animal and all living things physiology but the principles of physiology are universal, no matter what particular organism is being studied....
sense

Sense

Senses are the physiological methods of perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception....
s. It helps prevent human

Human

A human being, also human or man, is a member of a species of bipedalism primates in the family Hominidae . Mitochondrial DNA evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago....
s and animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s from falling over when walking

Walking

Walking is the main form of animal locomotion on Earth, distinguished from running and crawling . When carried out in shallow waters, it is usually described as wading and when performed over a steeply rising object or an obstacle it becomes scrambling or climbing....
or standing still.
umans, equilibrioception is mainly sensed by the detection of acceleration, which occurs in the vestibular system

Vestibular system

The vestibular system, which contributes to our balance and our sense of spatial orientation, is the sensory system that provides the dominant input about movement and equilibrioception....
.

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Encyclopedia

Physiology

Sense

Human

Animal

Walking

In humans

In humans, equilibrioception is mainly sensed by the detection of acceleration, which occurs in the vestibular system

Vestibular system

The vestibular system, which contributes to our balance and our sense of spatial orientation, is the sensory system that provides the dominant input about movement and equilibrioception....
. Other senses play roles as well, e.g. the visual system

Visual system

The visual system is the part of the central nervous system which allows organisms to visual perception.It interprets the information from visible light to build a representation of the world surrounding the body....
and proprioception

Proprioception

Proprioception ; from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own" and perception) is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body....
. The importance of visual input for balance is illustrated by its being harder to stand on one foot with eyes closed than with eyes open.

The sense of balance, usually, deteriorates in process of aging of a person. However, it can be improved considerably with the help of special training.

Vestibular system

In the vestibular system, equilibrioception is determined by the level of fluid

Fluid

A fluid is defined as a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. All liquids and all gases are fluids. Fluids are a subset of the Phase and include liquids, gas, Plasma physics and, to some extent, plasticity ....
properly called endolymph

Endolymph

Endolymph is the fluid contained in the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear.It is also called Scarpa's fluid, after Antonio Scarpa....
in the labyrinth

Labyrinth (inner ear)

The labyrinth is a system of fluid passages in the inner ear, including both the cochlea which is part of the auditory system, and the vestibular system which provides the sense of balance....
- a complex set of tubing in the inner ear

Ear

The ear is the sense organ that detects sounds. The vertebrate ear shows a common biology from fish to humans, with variations in structure according to order and species....
.

Dysfunction

When the sense of balance is interrupted it causes dizziness, disorientation and nausea

Nausea

Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit....
. Balance can be upset by Meniere's disease

Ménière's disease

M?ni?re's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can affect Hearing and balance. It is characterized by episodes of dizziness and tinnitus and progressive hearing loss, usually in one ear....
, superior canal dehiscence syndrome

Superior canal dehiscence syndrome

Superior canal dehiscence syndrome is a rare medical condition of the inner ear, first described in 1998 by of Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, USA,...
, an inner ear infection, by a bad common cold

Common cold

Acute viral rhinopharyngitis, or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious, virus infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by picornaviruses or coronaviruses....
affecting the head or a number of other medical conditions. It can also be temporarily disturbed by strong acceleration, for example riding on a merry-go-round. See also vertigo

Vertigo (medical)

Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings....
.

Most astronaut

Astronaut

An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a List of human spaceflight programs to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s find that their sense of balance is impaired when in orbit because they are in a constant state of weightlessness

Weightlessness

Weightlessness is a phenomenon experienced by people during free-fall. Although the term #Zero gravity is often used as a synonym, weightlessness in orbit is not the result of the force of gravity being eliminated or even significantly reduced ....
. This causes a form of motion sickness

Motion sickness

Motion sickness or kinetosis is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement....
called space adaptation syndrome

Space adaptation syndrome

Space adaptation syndrome , or space sickness, is a condition experienced by around half of space travelers during adaptation to microgravity....
.

In animals

Some animals have better equilibrioception than humans, for example a cat

Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
uses its inner ear

Inner ear

The inner ear is the labyrinth , a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:* the organ of hearing, or cochlea* and the vestibular apparatus, the organ of balance that consists of three semicircular canals and the Vestibule of the ear....
and tail to walk on a thin fence

Fence

A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent Transport across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage ....
.

Equilibrioception in many marine animals is done with an entirely different organ, the statocyst

Statocyst

The statocyst is a Equilibrioception present in some aquatic invertebrates . It consists of a sac-like structure containing a mineralised mass and numerous innervated sensory hairs ....
, which detects the position of tiny calcareous stones to determine which way is "up".

Training devices

Balance bicycle
Balance bicycle

A balance bicycle is a training bicycle that helps the rider learn Equilibrioception and Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics. It has no Bicycle pedal, no crankset, and no training wheels....
Balance board
Balance board

A balance board is a device used for recreation, General fitness training, brain development, List of therapies, music education and other kinds of personal development....
Slackline
Tight rope