Against the leans: Overcoming spatial disorientation through galvanic vestibular stimulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1421-1424
Author(s):  
Sungho Kim ◽  
May Jorella Lazaro ◽  
Hyunki Jung ◽  
Myung Hwan Yun ◽  
Yohan Kang
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Flight Simulation ◽  
Roll Angle ◽  
Angle Error ◽  
Spatial Disorientation ◽  
Safety Research ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Phase Data ◽  
Roll Out

Leans illusion is a type of Spatial Disorientation (SD) that pilots often experience which can adversely affect flight performance. For pilots’ flight safety, research on how to effectively overcome SD such as leans illusion is important. The purpose of this study is to identify the overcoming effect of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) technology on leans illusion. Twenty-one Air Force pilots participated in a flight simulation experiment where leans illusion was induced through a specialized SD simulator. In the with-GVS condition, GVS was given during the roll-out phase. Data was analyzed using roll angle error and subjective SD scales by two conditions (with-GVS, without-GVS). Results showed that both the roll angle error and the subjective SD scale scores were found to be lower in the with-GVS condition than in the without-GVS condition. This study suggests that the use of GVS technology can potentially contribute in overcoming leans illusion.

scholarly journals Galvanic vestibular stimulation: a novel modulatory countermeasure for vestibular-associated movement disorders

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos V. Rizzo-Sierra ◽  
Alexander Gonzalez-Castaño ◽  
Fidias E. Leon-Sarmiento
Keyword(s):  
Motion Sickness ◽  
Movement Disorders ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Human Locomotion ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Spatial Disorientation ◽  
Neural Transmission ◽  
Space Sickness

Motion sickness or kinetosis is the result of the abnormal neural output originated by visual, proprioceptive and vestibular mismatch, which reverses once the dysfunctional sensory information becomes coherent. The space adaptation syndrome or space sickness relates to motion sickness; it is considered to be due to yaw, pith, and roll coordinates mismatch. Several behavioural and pharmacological measures have been proposed to control these vestibular-associated movement disorders with no success. Galvanic vestibular stimulation has the potential of up-regulating disturbed sensory-motor mismatch originated by kinetosis and space sickness by modulating the GABA-related ion channels neural transmission in the inner ear. It improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the afferent proprioceptive volleys, which would ultimately modulate the motor output restoring the disordered gait, balance and human locomotion due to kinetosis, as well as the spatial disorientation generated by gravity transition.

scholarly journals Effect of noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation on dynamic posture sway under visual deprivation in patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Po-Yin Chen ◽  
Ying-Chun Jheng ◽  
Chien-Chih Wang ◽  
Shih-En Huang ◽  
Ting-Hua Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Light Condition ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Lateral Deviation ◽  
Clinical Trial Registration ◽  
Vestibular Hypofunction ◽  
Dark Conditions ◽  
Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

AbstractA single-blind study to investigate the effects of noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) in straight walking and 2 Hz head yaw walking for healthy and bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH) participants in light and dark conditions. The optimal stimulation intensity for each participant was determined by calculating standing stability on a force plate while randomly applying six graded nGVS intensities (0–1000 µA). The chest–pelvic (C/P) ratio and lateral deviation of the center of mass (COM) were measured by motion capture during straight and 2 Hz head yaw walking in light and dark conditions. Participants were blinded to nGVS served randomly and imperceivably. Ten BVH patients and 16 healthy participants completed all trials. In the light condition, the COM lateral deviation significantly decreased only in straight walking (p = 0.037) with nGVS for the BVH. In the dark condition, both healthy (p = 0.026) and BVH (p = 0.017) exhibited decreased lateral deviation during nGVS. The C/P ratio decreased significantly in BVH for 2 Hz head yaw walking with nGVS (p = 0.005) in light conditions. This study demonstrated that nGVS effectively reduced walking deviations, especially in visual deprived condition for the BVH. Applying nGVS with different head rotation frequencies and light exposure levels may accelerate the rehabilitation process for patients with BVH.Clinical Trial Registration This clinical trial was prospectively registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov with the Unique identifier: NCT03554941. Date of registration: (13/06/2018).

Habituation to galvanic vestibular stimulation

2004 ◽  
Vol 124 (8) ◽  
pp. 941-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan G. T. Balter ◽  
Robert J. Stokroos ◽  
Rosemiek M. A. Eterman ◽  
Sophie A. B. Paredis ◽  
Joep Orbons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

The effects of stochastic monopolar galvanic vestibular stimulation on human postural sway

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Scinicariello ◽  
J. Timothy Inglis ◽  
J.J. Collins
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Lower Sensitivity ◽  
Input Stimulus ◽  
Vestibular Perception ◽  
Afferent Nerve Endings ◽  
Young Subjects

Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a technique in which small currents are delivered transcutaneously to the afferent nerve endings of the vestibular system through electrodes placed over the mastoid bones. The applied current alters the firing rates of the peripheral vestibular afferents, causing a shift in a standing subject's vestibular perception and a corresponding postural sway. Previously, we showed that in subjects who are facing forward, stochastic bipolar binaural GVS leads to coherent stochastic mediolateral postural sway. The goal of this pilot study was to extend that work and to test the hypothesis that in subjects who are facing forward, stochastic monopolar binaural GVS leads to coherent stochastic anteroposterior postural sway. Stochastic monopolar binaural GVS was applied to ten healthy young subjects. Twenty-four trials, each containing a different galvanic input stimulus from among eight different frequency ranges, were conducted on each subject. Postural sway was evaluated through analysis of the center-of-pressure (COP) displacements under each subject's feet. Spectral analysis was performed on the galvanic stimuli and the COP displacement time series to calculate the coherence spectra. Significant coherence was found between the galvanic input signal and the anteroposterior COP displacement in some of the trials (i.e., at least one) in nine of the ten subjects. In general, the coherence values were highest for the mid-range frequencies that were tested, and lowest for the low- and high-range frequencies. However, the coherence values we obtained were lower than those we previously reported for stochastic bipolar binaural GVS and mediolateral sway. These differences may be due to fundamental characteristics of the vestibular system such as lower sensitivity to symmetric changes in afferent firing dynamics, and/or differences between the biomechanics of anteroposterior and mediolateral sway.

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