Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds To Assess Vestibular Processing In Health And Disease

Download or read book Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds to Assess Vestibular Processing in Health and Disease written by Megan Janette Kobel and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The three manuscripts presented herein examine the use of vestibular perceptual thresholds to assess vestibular processing in health and disease. The first manuscript assesses linear motion perception, mediated by the otoliths in the vestibular system, in healthy vestibular function to identify factors influencing vestibular perception. Results suggested that orientation relative to gravity influenced perceptual sensitivity, as earth-vertical (i.e., motions parallel to gravity) thresholds were overall higher than earth-horizontal (i.e., motions perpendicular to gravity) thresholds and previously reported differences in thresholds on the basis of body orientation may largely capture the influence of orientation relative to gravity. Additionally, differences in motion perception on the basis of motion relative to the head were noted, as thresholds with predominant utricular contributions were significantly impacted by orientation relative to gravity and overall lower than thresholds with predominant saccular contributions. In the second manuscript, translation perception was assessed in two patients with complete bilateral vestibular loss in order to verify vestibular contributions to linear motion perception. In the absence of vestibular function, thresholds were overall elevated, suggesting predominant vestibular contributions to whole body direction recognition tasks. A significant elevation in earth-vertical thresholds was also identified, suggesting internal models of gravity are impaired secondary to peripheral vestibular dysfunction leading to decreases sensory precision. Finally, in the third manuscript, motion perception was assayed in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD), a common cause of chronic dizziness. Overall, results suggested that motion perception was largely preserved in PPPD as vestibular thresholds were undistinguishable from age-matched controls. However, elevated roll tilt thresholds, which are reliant on canal-otolith integration, were identified in a subset of patients suggesting impaired intra-vestibular integration. Overall, vestibular perceptual thresholds provide unique insights into motion processing and are capable of identifying changes in peripheral and central vestibular function.