Journal of Vestibular Research - Volume 20, issue 5

Authors: Forti, Stella | Filipponi, Eliana | Di Berardino, Federica | Barozzi, Stefania | Cesarani, Antonio

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: It is well known that high intensity sounds modify balance by activating the saccule, which is sensitive to both vestibular and acoustic stimuli. Few studies have examined the effects of music on the postural responses in healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different types of music (Mozart, Köhler, Köhler with a carrier of 12 KHz and subjects' favourite music) on twelve healthy subjects standing on a stabilometric platform. With each type of music, all subjects underwent static posturography with eyes opened and eyes closed, and with and without foam pads. We evaluated the …length and the surface of body sway and the correlation between them, and we analyzed the visual, vestibular and somatosensory sub-components. Listening to different types of music did not significantly change the stabilometric variables, with the exception of listening to Mozart's Jupiter, which caused a significant reduction in the visual component with a consequent increase in both the vestibular and somatosensory inputs. Further studies are needed to determine the effect of Mozart's music in modifying the sensory strategy in the rehabilitation of patients with vestibular impairments. Show more

Keywords: Music, static posturography, balance, sensory strategy

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0361

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 351-356, 2010

Authors: Honaker, Julie A. | Shepard, Neil T.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Impairments of the vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) lead to a decline in visual acuity during head movements. Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) testing is a sensitive assessment tool for detecting VOR impairments. DVA evaluates accuracy of visual acuity during fixed velocity head movements. In contrast, the Gaze Stabilization test (GST) is a new functional evaluation of the VOR that identifies a person's maximum head velocity (in degrees per second) a person can maintain with stable vision of a target (i.e. optotype). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the GST in participants without vestibular disease. The …study was conducted in a vestibular and balance laboratory at a tertiary medical center. A total of 87 healthy adult volunteers were included in this study. The main outcome measure was the association between age and both GST maximum head velocity in the yaw (right/left) plane and velocity symmetry. A significant negative correlation was found between age and maximum head velocity (r =−0.469, p< 0.001). Our results suggest that age should be considered when interpreting GST results in the yaw plane, however standardization of testing methods should be established as variation in results has been reported in the literature. Show more

Keywords: Visual acuity, vestibular function test, vestibular-ocular reflex, gaze stabilization, dynamic visual acuity

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0365

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 357-362, 2010

Authors: Ward, Bryan K. | Mohammad, Maha T. | Whitney, Susan L. | Marchetti, Gregory F. | Furman, Joseph M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The gaze stabilization test (GST) is a computerized test of the vestibulo-ocular reflex that reports maximum head velocity while maintaining fixed visual acuity. The GST thus assesses the vestibulo-ocular reflex differently from the dynamic visual acuity test (DVAT). The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability, stability, and validity of the GST in a healthy young and older population. Forty subjects (20 older adults with mean (SD) age of 76.3 (5.3) and 20 young controls with mean (SD) age of 25.2 (3.2)) performed the GST and DVAT assessments. The version of the GST used in this study has …a tunneled mirror system to ensure a consistent participant distance of 4 m from the computer screen. All subjects repeated trials within 30 minutes of initial testing. Twenty subjects (10 from each age group) returned 7–10 days later to repeat the GST and DVAT assessments. Vestibular symptoms were assessed before and after GST and DVAT assessments. The mean (SD) GST scores for the older group were 123 (33) deg/s in the yaw plane and 108 (27) deg/s in the pitch plane. For the young group, mean (SD) GST scores were 157 (34) deg/s in the yaw plane and 141(25) deg/s in the pitch plane. There was a significant between-group difference for GST scores in both yaw and pitch planes (p< 0.01). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for GST scores performed on the same day was 0.75 in the yaw plane and 0.69 in the pitch plane. The ICC including the 20 subjects who repeated the GST within 7–10 days was 0.59 in the yaw plane and 0.54 in the pitch plane. In general, GST was more stable than DVAT. GST was more stable in younger vs. older subjects whereas DVAT was more stable in older vs. younger subjects. Concurrent validity, determined by Spearman correlation coefficients between GST and DVAT loss results were −0.62 in the yaw plane and −0.38 in the pitch plane (p< 0.02). These results suggest that the gaze stabilization test (GST) has good same-day test-retest reliability and stability in healthy young and older adults. The moderate correlation between same-day GST and DVAT loss scores suggest the two tests may be measuring similar, but different constructs. Show more

Keywords: Gaze stabilization test, vestibulo-ocular reflex, aging

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0371

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 363-372, 2010

Authors: Kitajima, Naoharu | Otsuka, Koji | Ogawa, Yasuo | Shimizu, Shigetaka | Hayashi, Mami | Ichimura, Akihide | Suzuki, Mamoru

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Pupillary dilation in response to sound stimuli is well established and is generally considered to represent a startle reflex to sound. We believe that the auditory-pupillary response represents not only a simple startle reflex to sound stimuli but also represents a reaction to stimulation of other sense organs, such as otolith organs. Eight young healthy volunteers without a history of hearing and equilibrium problems and 12 subjects with bilateral deafness participated in this study. Computer pupillography was used to analyze the auditory-pupillary responses of both eyes in all subjects. We found that auditory-pupillary responses occurred even in subjects with bilateral …deafness and that this response was comparable to those of normal subjects. We propose that the auditory-pupillary response also relates to vestibular function. Thus, assessing the auditory-pupillary response may be useful for evaluating the vestibulo-autonomic response in patients with peripheral disequilibrium. Show more

Keywords: Auditory-pupillary response, vestibulo-autonomic response, bilateral deafness, vestibular function

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0362

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 373-380, 2010

Authors: Geisinger, Dario | Ferreira, Enrique | Suarez, Alejo | Suarez, Hamlet

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper studies the phenomenon of the perceived vertical by means of a novel dynamic experiment. This task is inspired in the Subjective Visual Vertical test and can be regarded as complementary in terms of how the information involved varies (visual, otolithic and neck proprioception). The experiment consists in presenting a white stripe in a pair of virtual reality goggles and adjusting the roll angle of the head until the stripe is aligned with the gravitational vertical. The roll angle of the head is measured and recorded along each trial where the white stripe changes position four times, …after a specific amount of time. The task was run on a group of 28 normal subjects and a small sample of 5 patients with vestibular hypofunction. Six parameters derived from Control Theory were extracted from the data to characterize the subject transient response. All parameters for normal subjects were found to be normally distributed. Experimental results show that discrimination is possible between normal subjects and patients using just one or two of the parameters studied. Show more

Keywords: Subjective Visual Vertical, head tilt, Gravitational Vertical

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0384

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 381-389, 2010

Authors: Mendel, Barbro | Bergenius, Johan | Langius-Eklöf, Ann

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the prevalence of self-rated dizziness/unsteadiness and health as well as to estimate the proportion of participants with peripheral vestibular disorders. Methods: Altogether, 2547 participants (66%) participated in an epidemiological cross-sectional study, including self-rated questions about dizziness/unsteadiness, concomitant auditory symptoms and self-rated general, psychosocial and mental health. Results: The overall prevalence of dizziness was 21% and higher among women (27%) than men (14%) (p< 0.001). Dizziness, provoked by the movement of lying-down (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), was noted in 5% of the participants with the symptom occurring more often in women than …in men (p< 0.001). Twenty-four percent of the men and 21% of the women with dizziness simultaneously experienced a sense of rotation and loss of hearing and tinnitus. Fifteen percent reported falls because of dizziness. Both men and women suffering from dizziness symptoms perceived worse self-rated health generally, psychosocially and mentally than those without symptoms of dizziness (p< 0.001). Conclusion: Dizziness-related symptoms are common in all age groups and may manifest worse self-rated health. About 50% of the participants had symptoms indicating origin of peripheral vestibular disorders. Self-rated questions seem capable of identifying patients for referral to clinical examinations and subsequently those who can be successfully treated. Show more

Keywords: Balance disturbance, dizziness, epidemiology, self-rated health, quality-of life

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0370

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 391-398, 2010

Article Type: Correction

DOI: 10.3233/VES-2010-0385

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 399-399, 2010