The cortical electrophysiological changes evoked by natural vestibular stimulation in healthy and bilateral vestibulopathy
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Hadi, Zaeem
Du, Keven
Suresh, Thariny
Bandrivska, Solomiia
Seemungal, Barry Mitra
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Peripheral vestibular stimulation elicits brainstem reflex responses manifesting as a vestibular-ocular reflex nystagmus (‘VOR’) and evokes a perception of self-motion or ‘vertigo’. While VOR responses are objectively measured via eye movements, no such objective measure exists for assessing the cortical vestibular processing of self-motion. Understanding how the brain encodes vestibular-mediated self-motion could provide electrophysiological markers for clinical syndromes where reflex and perception are uncoupled, e.g. in vestibular agnosia. Hence, here we investigated the brain’s encoding of bottom-up vestibular signals, using passive yaw-plane chair rotations performed in complete darkness with simultaneous EEG. Healthy controls (n = 8) were compared to patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP), either with residual function (BVP-residual; n=6) or complete loss (BVP-complete; n=1), at five acceleration levels (range: 30-150º /s2). Comparing healthy controls with BVP-residual, we found: 1) no differences in time-frequency analyses; and 2) differences in vestibular evoked potentials magnitude (P < 0.01). Chair acceleration changes were consistently accompanied by phase-locked and induced (non-phase locked) theta-increases as well as alpha reduction in both, healthy and patients. Importantly, while the induced theta component was present in BVP-residual, it was absent in BVP-complete. Overall, findings indicate potential utility of: 1) vestibular evoked EEG responses for identifying attenuated vestibular signalling; and 2) theta activity as a cortical signature of preserved bottom-up vestibular signalling. These preliminary findings would require further investigation to confirm their functional role.
Date Acceptance
2026-06-15
Citation
Journal of Neurophysiology
ISSN
0022-3077
Publisher
American Physiological Society
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Neurophysiology
Copyright Statement
Copyright This paper is embargoed until publication. Once published the Version of Record (VoR) will be available on immediate open access.
License URL
Publication Status
Accepted