Anca Velisar
Research Associate
Degrees: M.S. in Biomedical Engineering
M.S. in Electrical Engineering
M.S. in Electrical Engineering
Tabs
Journal Articles
. (2020). Eye, Head & Gaze Contributions to Smooth Pursuit in Macular Degeneration. Journal Of Neurophysiology. http://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00001.2020
Presentations/Posters
. (2021). Effects of eccentric viewing in orientation discrimination. Date Published 01/2021, Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome: Virtual.
. (2021). Functional Correlates of Noise-Induced Damage to the Vestibular Periphery. Date Published 01/2021, Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome: Virtual.
. (2020). Effect of Viewing Distance on the Vestibuloocular Reflex in Central Field Loss. Date Published 01/2020, Association for Research in Otolaryngology MidWinter Meeting: San Jose, CA.
. (2019). Does eccentric fixation alter head movement strategy for smooth pursuit?. Neural Control of Movement: Toyama, Japan.
Shanidze Lab
Our laboratory is interested in the mechanisms of eye and head movement and coordination and how those mechanisms are altered when visual or vestibular inputs are compromised.
Active
Active
Vestibular Function in AMD: Verticality Perception
To accurately perceive one’s own state and that of the surrounding environment, visual, vestibular and somatosensory inputs must be appropriately weighted and dynamically reweighted depending on the environment and task difficulty, as well as signal reliability (and availability). Aging is associated with an increase on visual dependence (a greater weighting of visual information). In this project we investigate how loss of visual information due to AMD affects this reweighting process and if an increase in visual dependence may be maladaptive in AMD.
Active
Effects of Noise Exposure Across the Lifespan on Balance and Stability in Older Adults
Falls in older adults are common, have high societal and monetary costs, often lead to injury and can even be fatal. It is known that noise can damage the vestibular periphery resulting in postural instability and compromised balance. This project investigates how natural aging is accelerated by lifetime noise exposure, and how that can lead to impaired vestibular function, contributing to propensity to fall.
Active
Robotic Oculomotor Simulator
Current eye tracking and calibration algorithms do not accommodate eccentric viewing and the capacity for accurate eye tracking is difficult to assess in individuals with central visual field loss, and few studies of naturalistic oculomotor behavior exist. To address this problem, we are developing a binocular robotic model of the human eyes that can simulate fixation and eye movements with an eccentric preferred retinal locus in one or both eyes and allow for precise assessment of eye tracking performance of head mounted computer vision-based eye tracking systems.
Active
Coordination of Eye and Head Movements in Central Field Loss
This project investigates the interaction between central field loss (CFL) and vestibular function.
Active
Characteristics of Smooth Pursuit in Individuals with Central Field Loss
This project investigates the properties of smooth pursuit eye movements in individuals with macular degeneration. Commonly believed to be a fovea-linked eye movement, smooth pursuit has not been previously investigated in individuals with central field loss, despite its importance for tracking moving objects, such as vehicles or pedestrians on a busy street.
Contact Information
2318 Fillmore St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
Room #
413
Email:
anca.velisar@ski.org
Office Phone:
(415) 345-2053