scholarly journals The Contributions of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials and Acoustic Vestibular Stimulation to Our Understanding of the Vestibular System

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally M. Rosengren ◽  
James G. Colebatch
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials

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.

scholarly journals Finding a Balance: A Systematic Review of the Biomechanical Effects of Vestibular Prostheses on Stability in Humans

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Felix Haxby ◽  
Mohammad Akrami ◽  
Reza Zamani
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Significant Heterogeneity ◽  
Vestibular Loss ◽  
Ocular Reflex ◽  
Gait Characteristics ◽  
Vestibulo Ocular Reflex ◽  
Meta Analyses

The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and is responsible for maintaining balance in humans. Bilateral vestibular dysfunction (BVD) is a disorder that adversely affects vestibular function. This results in symptoms such as postural imbalance and vertigo, increasing the incidence of falls and worsening quality of life. Current therapeutic options are often ineffective, with a focus on symptom management. Artificial stimulation of the vestibular system, via a vestibular prosthesis, is a technique being explored to restore vestibular function. This review systematically searched for literature that reported the effect of artificial vestibular stimulation on human behaviours related to balance, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) technique. A total of 21 papers matched the inclusion criteria of the literature search conducted using the PubMed and Web of Science databases (February 2019). The populations for these studies included both healthy adults and patients with BVD. In every paper, artificial vestibular stimulation caused an improvement in certain behaviours related to balance, although the extent of the effect varied greatly. Various behaviours were measured such as the vestibulo-ocular reflex, postural sway and certain gait characteristics. Two classes of prosthesis were evaluated and both showed a significant improvement in at least one aspect of balance-related behaviour in every paper included. No adverse effects were reported for prostheses using noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation, however, prosthetic implantation sometimes caused hearing or vestibular loss. Significant heterogeneity in methodology, study population and disease aetiology were observed. The present study confirms the feasibility of vestibular implants in humans for restoring balance in controlled conditions, but more research needs to be conducted to determine their effects on balance in non-clinical settings.

scholarly journals Role of the Insula and Vestibular System in Patients with Chronic Subjective Dizziness: An fMRI Study Using Sound-Evoked Vestibular Stimulation

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iole Indovina ◽  
Roberta Riccelli ◽  
Giuseppe Chiarella ◽  
Claudio Petrolo ◽  
Antonio Augimeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Fmri Study

scholarly journals Cellular resolution imaging of vestibular processing across the larval zebrafish brain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itia A. Favre-Bulle ◽  
Gilles Vanwalleghem ◽  
Michael A. Taylor ◽  
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop ◽  
Ethan K. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Cellular Responses ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Larval Zebrafish ◽  
Cellular Resolution ◽  
Separate Control ◽  
Resolution Imaging ◽  
Apply Physical ◽  
The Brain

SummaryThe vestibular system, which reports on motion and gravity, is essential to postural control, balance, and egocentric representations of movement and space. The motion needed to stimulate the vestibular system complicates studying its circuitry, so we previously developed a method for fictive vestibular stimulation in zebrafish, using optical trapping to apply physical forces to the otoliths. Here, we combine this fictive stimulation with whole-brain calcium imaging at cellular resolution, delivering a comprehensive map of the brain regions and cellular responses involved in basic vestibular processing. We find these responses to be broadly distributed across the brain, with unique profiles of cellular responses and topography in each brain region. The most widespread and abundant responses involve excitation that is rate coded to the stimulus strength. Other responses, localized to the telencephalon and habenulae, show excitation that is only weakly rate coded and that is sensitive to weak stimuli. Finally, numerous brain regions contain neurons that are inhibited by vestibular stimuli, and these inhibited neurons are often tightly localised spatially within their regions. By exerting separate control over the left and right otoliths, we explore the laterality of brain-wide vestibular processing, distinguishing between neurons with unilateral and bilateral vestibular sensitivity, and revealing patterns by which conflicting vestibular signals from the two ears can be mutually cancelling. Our results show a broader and more extensive network of vestibular responsive neurons than has previously been described in larval zebrafish, and provides a framework for more targeted studies of the underlying functional circuits.

scholarly journals Ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials elicited by air-conducted, low-frequency sound

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-247
Author(s):  
Vivien Nancy Luecke ◽  
Laura Buchwieser ◽  
Peter zu Eulenburg ◽  
Torsten Marquardt ◽  
Markus Drexl
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Stimulus Level ◽  
Phase Changes ◽  
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ◽  
High Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Frequency Sound ◽  
Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Vestibular Symptoms

BACKGROUND: Sound is not only detected by the cochlea, but also, at high intensities, by the vestibular system. Acoustic activation of the vestibular system can manifest itself in vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs). In a clinical setting, VEMPs are usually evoked with rather high-frequency sound (500 Hz and higher), despite the fact that only a fraction of saccular and utricular hair cells in the striolar region is available for high-frequency stimulation. OBJECTIVE: As a growing proportion of the population complains about low-frequency environmental noise, including reports on vestibular symptoms, the activation of the vestibular system by low-frequency sound deserves better understanding. METHODS: We recorded growth functions of oVEMPs and cVEMPs evoked with air-conducted sound at 120 Hz and below. We estimated VEMP thresholds and tested whether phase changes of the stimulus carrier result in changes of VEMP amplitude and latency. RESULTS: The VEMP response of the otholith organs to low-frequency sound is uniform and not tuned when corrected for middle ear attenuation by A-weighting the stimulus level. Different stimulus carrier phases result in phase-correlated changes of cVEMP latencies and amplitudes. CONCLUSIONS: VEMPs can be evoked with rather low-frequency sound, but high thresholds suggest that they are unlikely to be triggered by environmental sounds.

Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Testing in Vestibular Localization and Diagnosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (01) ◽  
pp. 018-032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael L. Taylor ◽  
Miriam S. Welgampola ◽  
Benjamin Nham ◽  
Sally M. Rosengren
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials ◽  
Vestibular Disorders ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential ◽  
Myogenic Potential ◽  
Superior Canal Dehiscence ◽  
Otolith Function ◽  
Utricular Function ◽  
Canal Dehiscence

AbstractVestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are short-latency, otolith-dependent reflexes recorded from the neck and eye muscles. They are widely used in neuro-otology clinics as tests of otolith function. Cervical VEMPs are recorded from the neck muscles and reflect predominantly saccular function, while ocular VEMPs are reflexes of the extraocular muscles and reflect utricular function. They have an important role in the diagnosis of superior canal dehiscence syndrome and provide complementary information about otolith function that is useful in the diagnosis of other vestibular disorders. Like other evoked potentials, they can provide important localizing information about lesions that may occur along the VEMP pathway. This review will describe the VEMP abnormalities seen in common disorders of the vestibular system and its pathways.

Galvanic vestibular stimulation counteracts hypergravity-induced plastic alteration of vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex in rats

2009 ◽  
Vol 107 (4) ◽  
pp. 1089-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chikara Abe ◽  
Kunihiko Tanaka ◽  
Chihiro Awazu ◽  
Hironobu Morita
Keyword(s):  
Vestibular System ◽  
Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Linear Acceleration ◽  
Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation ◽  
Medial Vestibular Nucleus ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
Cardiovascular Reflex

Recent data from our laboratory demonstrated that, when rats are raised in a hypergravity environment, the sensitivity of the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex decreases. In a hypergravity environment, static input to the vestibular system is increased; however, because of decreased daily activity, phasic input to the vestibular system may decrease. This decrease may induce use-dependent plasticity of the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex. Accordingly, we hypothesized that galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) may compensate the decrease in phasic input to the vestibular system, thereby preserving the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex. To examine this hypothesis, we measured horizontal and vertical movements of rats under 1-G or 3-G environments as an index of the phasic input to the vestibular system. We then raised rats in a 3-G environment with or without GVS for 6 days and measured the pressor response to linear acceleration to examine the sensitivity of the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex. The horizontal and vertical movement of 3-G rats was significantly less than that of 1-G rats. The pressor response to forward acceleration was also significantly lower in 3-G rats (23 ± 1 mmHg in 1-G rats vs. 12 ± 1 mmHg in 3-G rats). The pressor response was preserved in 3-G rats with GVS (20 ± 1 mmHg). GVS stimulated Fos expression in the medial vestibular nucleus. These results suggest that GVS stimulated vestibular primary neurons and prevent hypergravity-induced decrease in sensitivity of the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex.

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