| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
INVITED REVIEW
HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS
Neural Control of Movement
1Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia; and 2MRC Human Movement Group, Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG United Kingdom
Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a simple, safe, and specific way to elicit vestibular reflexes. Yet, despite a long history, it has only recently found popularity as a research tool and is rarely used clinically. The obstacle to advancing and exploiting GVS is that we cannot interpret the evoked responses with certainty because we do not understand how the stimulus acts as an input to the system. This paper examines the electrophysiology and anatomy of the vestibular organs and the effects of GVS on human balance control and develops a model that explains the observed balance responses. These responses are large and highly organized over all body segments and adapt to postural and balance requirements. To achieve this, neurons in the vestibular nuclei receive convergent signals from all vestibular receptors and somatosensory and cortical inputs. GVS sway responses are affected by other sources of information about balance but can appear as the sum of otolithic and semicircular canal responses. Electrophysiological studies showing similar activation of primary afferents from the otolith organs and canals and their convergence in the vestibular nuclei support this. On the basis of the morphology of the cristae and the alignment of the semicircular canals in the skull, rotational vectors calculated for every mode of GVS agree with the observed sway. However, vector summation of signals from all utricular afferents does not explain the observed sway. Thus we propose the hypothesis that the otolithic component of the balance response originates from only the pars medialis of the utricular macula.
balance; standing; reflex; posture
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Abe, K. Tanaka, C. Awazu, and H. Morita Galvanic vestibular stimulation counteracts hypergravity-induced plastic alteration of vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex in rats J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2009; 107(4): 1089 - 1094. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 O. S. Mian and B. L. Day Determining the direction of vestibular-evoked balance responses using stochastic vestibular stimulation J. Physiol., June 15, 2009; 587(12): 2869 - 2873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Z. Ghanim, J. C. Lamy, A. Lackmy, V. Achache, N. Roche, A. Penicaud, S. Meunier, and R. Katz Effects of galvanic mastoid stimulation in seated human subjects J Appl Physiol, March 1, 2009; 106(3): 893 - 903. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. T. Aw, M. J. Todd, G. E. Aw, K. P. Weber, and G. M. Halmagyi Gentamicin vestibulotoxicity impairs human electrically evoked vestibulo-ocular reflex Neurology, November 25, 2008; 71(22): 1776 - 1782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. M. L. Son, J.-S. Blouin, and J. T. Inglis Short-duration galvanic vestibular stimulation evokes prolonged balance responses J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2008; 105(4): 1210 - 1217. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. J. Dakin, G. M. L. Son, J. T. Inglis, and J.-S. Blouin Frequency response of human vestibular reflexes characterized by stochastic stimuli J. Physiol., September 15, 2007; 583(3): 1117 - 1127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. L. Day and M. Guerraz Feedforward versus feedback modulation of human vestibular-evoked balance responses by visual self-motion information J. Physiol., July 1, 2007; 582(1): 153 - 161. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. S. Welgampola and B. L. Day Craniocentric body-sway responses to 500 Hz bone-conducted tones in man J. Physiol., November 15, 2006; 577(1): 81 - 95. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. T. Aw, M. J. Todd, and G. M. Halmagyi Latency and Initiation of the Human Vestibuloocular Reflex to Pulsed Galvanic Stimulation J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2006; 96(2): 925 - 930. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. L. Day and R. C. Fitzpatrick Virtual head rotation reveals a process of route reconstruction from human vestibular signals J. Physiol., September 1, 2005; 567(2): 591 - 597. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D Perennou Weight bearing asymmetry in standing hemiparetic patients J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, May 1, 2005; 76(5): 621 - 621. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. Cathers, B. L Day, and R. C Fitzpatrick Otolith and canal reflexes in human standing J. Physiol., February 15, 2005; 563(1): 229 - 234. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |
