Journal of Vestibular Research - Volume 25, issue 1

Authors: Lopez-Escamez, Jose A. | Carey, John | Chung, Won-Ho | Goebel, Joel A. | Magnusson, Måns | Mandalà, Marco | Newman-Toker, David E. | Strupp, Michael | Suzuki, Mamoru | Trabalzini, Franco | Bisdorff, Alexandre

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper presents diagnostic criteria for Menière's disease jointly formulated by the Classification Committee of the Bárány Society, The Japan Society for Equilibrium Research, the European Academy of Otology and Neurotology (EAONO), the Equilibrium Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) and the Korean Balance Society. The classification includes two categories: definite Menière's disease and probable Menière's disease. The diagnosis of definite Menière's disease is based on clinical criteria and requires the observation of an episodic vertigo syndrome associated with low- to medium-frequency sensorineural hearing loss and fluctuating aural symptoms (hearing, tinnitus and/or fullness) in the …affected ear. Duration of vertigo episodes is limited to a period between 20 minutes and 12 hours. Probable Menière's disease is a broader concept defined by episodic vestibular symptoms (vertigo or dizziness) associated with fluctuating aural symptoms occurring in a period from 20 minutes to 24 hours. Show more

Keywords: Vertigo, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, vestibular disorders, Meniere disease

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150549

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 1-7, 2015

Authors: Ertl, M. | Kirsch, V. | Gerb, J. | Boegle, R. | Krafczyk, S. | Dieterich, M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) are a non-invasive method to investigate otolith function mediated via the superior vestibular nerve. However, the herein used recordings and protocols may alter within different studies. In particular the diverging use of electrode configuration regarding polarity or even electrode position varies across studies. Therefore, a systematic analysis and appraisal of the different electrode configuration seems mandatory. In this study we compared the quality of uni- and bipolar recordings based on the signal to noise ratio (SNR). We recoded oVEMPs using a uni- and bipolar electrode configuration simultaneously and compared the recorded amplitudes and latencies …and calculated the SNR. The amplitudes recorded by the unipolar configurations were significantly (p < 0.01) increased compared to the bipolar configuration. However, the SNR of the bipolar setup was significantly better (p < 0.05) when compared to the unipolar setup. Additionally, we estimated a transfer function that enabled a comparison of uni- and bipolar recordings. To conclude, the variety of setups used for oVEMP recording hinder a comparison of results and unipolar electrode configurations have clear disadvantages. Show more

Keywords: Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential, oVEMP, transfer function, asymmetry ratio

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150545

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 9-14, 2015

Authors: Wu, Kuo-Tung | Lee, Guo-She

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: To compare the influences of monocular vision versus binocular vision on postural control, twenty-seven otherwise healthy adults, aged from 19 to 38 years, with corrected visual acuity of better than or equal to 20/20, were recruited. Body sway for standing 30 seconds on a force platform in 3 conditions was recorded for each participant: one with both eyes open (BEO), one with left eye open (LEO) and the other with both eyes closed (BEC). Postural stability was subsequently evaluated by measuring the total track length (TL) and surface area (SA) of center of pressure of body sway. The results show …that the values of TL and SA of BEC were significantly greater than those of LEO and BEO. Moreover, the values of TL and SA of BEO were significantly smaller than those of LEO (p < 0.05, one-way repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc of Fisher's LSD procedure). The Romberg coefficient of LEO was also significantly greater than that of BEO (p < 0.05, paired sample t-test). We concluded that optimal binocular vision provides more information for keeping balance than monocular vision according to the results revealed in our study. Assessment of visual acuity is recommended before doing a posturographic test in the clinical setting. However, the long-term impact of blindness on controlling posture is uncertain and needs further investigation. Show more

Keywords: Monocular vision, binocular vision, static posturography

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150540

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 15-21, 2015

Authors: Bos, Jelte E.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Background: Motion sickness may reduce passenger comfort and crew performance. Countermeasures are dominated by medication with specific and often undesirable side effects. Objective: To shown that sickness due to motion can be reduced by adding an inherent non-sickening vibration and by mental distraction. Methods: Eighteen blindfolded subjects were exposed to 20 minutes of off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). Vibration was added by means of a head rest. Effects of OVAR and vibration were tested separately and in combination, while the subjects were performing an audio letter memorising task. This task was absent to test the effect of …mental distraction. Effects were quantified by rating subjective misery and objective task performance. Results: Sixteen subjects completed the experiment and showed in mutual comparable conditions that head vibration reduced the amount of sickness by 25%, the mental distraction did so by 19%, and the combined effect resulted in a reduction of 39%. Their task performance decreased with increasing sickness. Conclusion: Sickness due to low-frequency motion can be reduced by adding a high-frequency vibration and by mental distraction. The effect of vibration can be understood by assuming an internal model used by the central nervous system to optimise the control of body motion. Show more

Keywords: Motion sickness, nausea, vibration, performance, mental distraction

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150541

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 23-33, 2015

Authors: Macefield, Vaughan G. | Walton, Darren K.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Background: There are two leading theories on the origin of motion sickness. One, the sensory conflict theory, states that sensory information provided by one sensory channel does not match the expected input from another channel; commonly, these two inputs originate in the vestibular system and the eyes. The second theory – the postural instability theory – states that motion sickness comes about not through sensory conflict, but through an inability to control one’s posture. Objective: Given that people with a motor-complete spinal cord injury cannot control their muscles below the level of the spinal lesion, we predicted that …susceptibility to motion sickness would be higher in individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury. Methods: Twenty-one people living with chronic spinal cord injury (9 quadriplegics, 12 paraplegics) completed the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ), via an online survey, to compare susceptibility to motion sickness before and after injury. Results: Spinal cord injury, regardless of level, did not produce an increase in susceptibility to motion sickness. Conclusion: We have tested the general validity of the postural-instability theory by assessing susceptibility to motion sickness in individuals with spinal cord injury. Despite the loss of postural control, there was no increase in motion sickness susceptibility. Show more

Keywords: Motion sickness, spinal cord injury, vestibular

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150542

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 35-39, 2015

Authors: Kim, Jun-Hyun | Kim, Saeromi | Lee, Dong Hyun | Lee, Tae-Kyeong | Sung, Ki-Bum

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The isolated body lateropulsion has been well recognized in caudal lateral medullary infarction and postulated to result from the involvement of ipsilateral dorsal spinocerebellar tract which is known to convey proprioception of trunk and legs. However, there has been no case accompanied by the tilt of the subjective visual vertical in caudal lateral medullary infarction. Recently, it has been suggested that a lesion in the ipsilateral graviceptive vestibulothalamic pathway can lead to alteration of subjective visual vertical without ocular tilt reaction in various brainstem lesions. Here we describe two cases of caudal lateral medullary infarction with ipsilesional body lateropulsion and …subjective visual vertical tilt but without limb ataxia or ocular tilt reaction. It could be hypothesized that the ascending graviceptive information from the spinal cord may run adjacent to the dorsal spinocerebellar tract or perception of the visual vertical can be influenced by ascending spinal proprioception. Show more

Keywords: Lateropulsion, subjective visual vertical, dorsal spinocerebellar tract, vestibulothalamic tract

DOI: 10.3233/VES-150543

Citation: Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 41-45, 2015