PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF VESTIBULAR FUNCTION

Short-term adaptive changes in the human vestibulo-ocular reflex arc

1. Two sets of experiments have examined the vestibulo-ocular response (VOR) to repeated sinusoidal rotation (A) in the dark and (B) after attempting visual tracking of a mirror-reversed image of the visual surround.2. In both A and B a horizontal sinusoidal rotational stimulus of 1/6 Hz and 60 degrees /sec angular velocity amplitude was employed, specifically chosen to lie within the presumed range of natural stimulation of the semicircular canals.3. In A each of seven subjects underwent ten 2-min runs of the standard stimulus in the dark on each of three consecutive days, with 3-min rest periods between runs. Using d.c. electro-oculography (EOG) the VOR gain was measured throughout as eye velocity/head velocity. Mental arousal was maintained by competitive mental arithmetic. Constancy of EOG gain was assured by 50 min dark adaptation before experimentation.4. The results of A showed no consistent change of VOR gain over the three times scales of a run, a day and the 3-day experiment.5. In B the same subjects underwent a similar pattern of vestibular stimulation, but during eight of the 2-min daily runs they attempted the reversed visual tracking task. VOR gain was measured during the 1st, 6th and last runs which were conducted in the dark for this purpose. Constancy of EOG gain was maintained by using red light throughout.6. The results of B showed a substantial (approx. 25%) and highly significant (P << 0.001) reduction of VOR gain attributable solely to the 16 min of reversed visual tracking attempted during the 50 min daily experiment. In addition the pre-test control gain was lower on day 3 than on day 1 (approx. 10% attenuation, P < 0.01) indicating a small cumulative effect from beginning to end of the 3-day experiment.7. It is concluded (A) that the repeated vestibular stimulus did not itself cause significant attenuation of VOR gain, but (B) that superposition of a reversed visual tracking task did induce retained VOR attenuation which was solely due to the antagonistic visual stimulus.8. In conjunction with other experimental evidence it is inferred that this attenuation probably represents an adaptive change in the VOR induced at least in part by retinal image slip.

Vestibular perception following acute unilateral vestibular lesions

Little is known about the vestibulo-perceptual (VP) system, particularly after a unilateral vestibular lesion. We investigated vestibulo-ocular (VO) and VP function in 25 patients with vestibular neuritis (VN) acutely (2 days after onset) and after compensation (recovery phase, 10 weeks). Since the effect of VN on reflex and perceptual function may differ at threshold and supra-threshold acceleration levels, we used two stimulus intensities, acceleration steps of 0.5°/s(2) and velocity steps of 90°/s (acceleration 180°/s(2)). We hypothesised that the vestibular lesion or the compensatory processes could dissociate VO and VP function, particularly if the acute vertiginous sensation interferes with the perceptual tasks. Both in acute and recovery phases, VO and VP thresholds increased, particularly during ipsilesional rotations. In signal detection theory this indicates that signals from the healthy and affected side are still fused, but result in asymmetric thresholds due to a lesion-induced bias. The normal pattern whereby VP thresholds are higher than VO thresholds was preserved, indicating that any 'perceptual noise' added by the vertigo does not disrupt the cognitive decision-making processes inherent to the perceptual task. Overall, the parallel findings in VO and VP thresholds imply little or no additional cortical processing and suggest that vestibular thresholds essentially reflect the sensitivity of the fused peripheral receptors. In contrast, a significant VO-VP dissociation for supra-threshold stimuli was found. Acutely, time constants and duration of the VO and VP responses were reduced - asymmetrically for VO, as expected, but surprisingly symmetrical for perception. At recovery, VP responses normalised but VO responses remained shortened and asymmetric. Thus, unlike threshold data, supra-threshold responses show considerable VO-VP dissociation indicative of additional, higher-order processing of vestibular signals. We provide evidence of perceptual processes (ultimately cortical) participating in vestibular compensation, suppressing asymmetry acutely in unilateral vestibular lesions.

Repeated exposure attenuates the behavioral response of rats to static high magnetic fields

Exposure of rats to high strength static magnetic fields of 7 T or above has behavioral effects such as the induction of locomotor circling, the suppression of rearing, and the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion (CTA). To determine if habituation occurs across magnetic field exposures, rats were pre-exposed two times to a 14 T static magnetic field for 30 min on two consecutive days; on the third day, rats were given access to a novel 0.125% saccharin prior to a third 30-min exposure to the 14 T magnetic field. Compared to sham-exposed rats, pre-exposed rats showed less locomotor circling and an attenuated CTA. Rearing was suppressed in all magnet-exposed groups regardless of pre-exposure, suggesting that the suppression of rearing is more sensitive than other behavioral responses to magnet exposure. Habituation was also observed when rats underwent pre-exposures at 2-3h intervals on a single day. Components of the habituation were also long-lasting; a diminished circling response was observed when rats were exposed to magnetic field 36 days after 2 pre-exposures. To control for possible effects of unconditioned stimulus pre-exposure, rats were also tested in a similar experimental design with two injections of LiCl prior to the pairing of saccharin with a third injection of LiCl. Pre-exposure to LiCl did not attenuate the LiCl-induced CTA, suggesting that 2 pre-exposures to an unconditioned stimulus are not sufficient to explain the habituation to magnet exposure. Because the effects of magnetic field exposure are dependent on an intact vestibular apparatus, and because the vestibular system can habituate to many forms of perturbation, habituation to magnetic field exposure is consistent with mediation of magnetic field effects by the vestibular system.

Vestibular and vestibulo-proprioceptive perception of motion in the horizontal plane in blindfolded man--I. Estimations of linear displacement

Perception of linear displacement in the horizontal plane was studied in blindfolded human subjects. Subjects were transported and walked with guidance along 2-6 m straight lines and then had to retrace these paths walking backwards. Subjects solved a double orientational task: firstly, they defined the direction of the backward path and, secondly, estimated its length. Following passive transportation overestimation of shorter distances was observed, which tended towards underestimation with path lengthening. The absolute average error in estimating a 2-m path was 0.4 +/- 0.18 m (M +/- m), a 6-m path -0.2 +/- 0.19 m. Guided subjects constantly overestimated the path length with an averaged error of 0.51 +/- 0.064 m. In defining the direction of the backward path subjects made errors scattered over a range of 0-30 degrees. These errors did not vary in relation to path length. A reverse proportionality was revealed between errors in direction and estimation of path lengths following passive transportation. It is suggested that accuracy in perceiving a linear displacement is dependent upon subjective perception of the preceding change in the trajectory of movement.

Motion sickness and development of synergy within the spatial orientation system. A hypothetical unifying concept

Adaptation to research paradigms such as rotating rooms and optical alteration of visual feedback during movement results in development of perceptual-motor programs that provide the reflexive assistance that is necessary to skilled control of movement and balance. The discomfort and stomach awareness that occur during the adaptation process has been attributed to conflicting sensory information about the state of motion. Vestibular signals depend on the kinematics of head movements irrespective of the presence or absence of signals from other senses. We propose that sensory conflict when vestibular signals are at least one component of the conflict are innately disturbing and unpleasant. This innate reaction is part of a continuum that operates early in life to prevent development of inefficient perceptual-motor programs. This reaction operates irrespective of and in addition to reward and punishment from parental guidance or goal attainment to yield efficient control of whole body movement in the operating environment of the individual. The same mechanism is involved in adapting the spatial orientation system to strange environments. This conceptual model "explains" why motion sickness is associated with adaptation to novel environments and is in general consistent with motion sickness literature.

Clinical use of pseudorandom binary sequence white noise in assessment of the human vestibulo-ocular system

White noise rotational stimulation has been used to evaluate the human vestibulo-ocular response for 30 normal subjects over the frequency range from 0.02 to 1.6 Hz and is being extended to characterize response of patients having documented abnormalities. For clinical use, the white noise stimulus has the advantages of shortening the test time by presenting all stimulus frequencies simultaneously, and being well-tolerated by both normal subjects and patients alike. Cross spectral calculations which compare the computer reconstructed slow phase eye velocity response to the pseudorandom acceleration stimulus yield a set of linear and nonlinear estimates of the vestibulo-ocular response. Pilot data indicate that a classification of the disease state can be made using this set of estimates. This classification will be presented and discussed.