Is vestibular function related to human hippocampal volume?

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bosmans, Joyce^{a; *} | Gommeren, Hanne^{a; b} | zu Eulenburg, Peter^{c; d; e} | Gilles, Annick^{a; b; f} | Mertens, Griet^{a; b} | Van Ombergen, Angelique^{a; g} | Cras, Patrick^{a; h} | Engelborghs, Sebastiaan^{i; j} | Van Rompaey, Vincent^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Experimental Laboratory of Translational Neurosciences and Dento-Otolaryngology, University of Antwerp, Belgium | [b] University Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium | [c] German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany | [d] Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Munich, Germany | [e] Institute for Neuroradiology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany | [f] Department of Education, Health and Social Work, University College Ghent, Ghent, Belgium | [g] Discipline Lead for Life Sciences, SciSpacE Team, Directorate for Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration Programmes, European Space Agency | [h] Department of Neurology, Antwerp University Hospital and Born-Bunge Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium | [i] Department of Neurology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel and Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium | [j] Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Bosmans Joyce, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium. E-mail: Joyce.bosmans@uantwerpen.be.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Recent studies implicate the effect of vestibular loss on cognitive decline, including hippocampal volume loss. As hippocampal atrophy is an important biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease, exploring vestibular dysfunction as a risk factor for dementia and its role in hippocampal atrophy is of interest. OBJECTIVE:To replicate previous literature on whole-brain and hippocampal volume in semicircular canal dysfunction (bilateral vestibulopathy; BV) and explore the association between otolith function and hippocampal volume. METHODS:Hippocampal and whole-brain MRI volumes were compared in adults aged between 55 and 83 years. Participants with BV (n = 16) were compared to controls individually matched on age, sex, and hearing status (n = 16). Otolith influence on hippocampal volume in preserved semicircular canal function was evaluated (n = 34). RESULTS:Whole-brain and targeted hippocampal approaches using volumetric and surface-based measures yielded no significant differences when comparing BV to controls. Binary support vector machines were unable to classify inner ear health status above chance level. Otolith parameters were not associated with hippocampal volume in preserved semicircular canal function. CONCLUSIONS:No significant differences in whole-brain or hippocampal volume were found when comparing BV participants with healthy controls. Saccular parameters in subjects with preserved semicircular canal function were not associated with hippocampal volume changes.

Keywords: Hippocampus, bilateral vestibulopathy, hearing loss, Alzheimer’s disease, cognition, dementia

DOI: 10.3233/VES-230076

Journal: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 3-13, 2024