Vestibular Dysfunction Flashcards
Function of the Vestibular System
Gaze stability (VOR)
Postural stability
Orientation in space
How does the Vestibular System play a role in Balance
- Processes multimodal sensory information
- Drives appropriate motor output
- Provides sense of position in space
- Feedback in relation to gravity
- Slowest but “final decision maker” (side: fastest is somatosensory)
Components of Vestibular System
- Peripheral Sensory apparatus (PVS)
- Central Processor (CVS): brainstem/cerebellum
- Mechanism for motor output
Motor output of the Vestibular system includes
VOR
VSR
COR
VOR
vestibular ocular reflex: generates eye movements consist with head movements
If you turn your head, the eye will go the opposite way to stay in the middle. When you look toward where your head is turning you are overwriting the VOR
VSR
Vestibular spinal reflex: generates compensatory body movements to keep head upright
Train with high level balance
COR
Cervical occular reflex:generates eye movements opposite to head movements (similar to VOR but not as active)
Anatomy of Peripheral Vestibular System (PVS)
- Housed int he inner ear
- Size of a dime
- petrous portion of temporal bone
- labyrinths & oroliths
- CN 8
- Labyrinthine artery
Anatomy of the Labyrinths
Semicircular canals taht consist of Anterior, posterior, horizontal canals
has a bony outer portion (perilymph) & membranous portion (endolymph)
Both peri/endolympth should not communicate with each other
Perilymph and Endolymph has high _____ : _____ ratio
Perilymph: high Na:K ratio
Endolymph: high K:Na ratio
Function of perilymph vs. endolymph
perilymph: protection
endolymph: fluid movement allow for the body to sense which way the head is moving secondary to movement of hair cells
Anatomy of the Bony labyrinths
5 sensory organs:
- 3 membranous labyrinths
- 2 otolith organ (utricle/saccule)
- ampullae
- hair cells
Role of Labyrinth
- Register head velocity
- VOR
- Rate sensors
- 3 coplanar pairs (aligned with plane of extraocular mm)
- push-pull relationship
Vestibular system is most effect at _____ degree/sec
~30 degrees/sec
Explain the push pull relationship of the vestibular system
As the head rotates to one side, the ipsilateral side is being excited while the contralateral side becomes inhibited.
sensory redundancy
ignore changes that affect both sides
assists in compensation for sensor overload
Role of the otoliths
Consist of utricle and saccule
respond to linear movement
accelereation in relation to gravity
register tilt (plane assent/descent, take off/landing)… eventually you get to constant speed and can’t feel accel/decel.
How long of a blockage is needed to lead to hearing lost?
15seconds
Central vestibular system (CVS)
Vestibular Nerve
Vestibular Nuclei
Cerebellum
vestibular nuclei location
4 primary on each side in the pons and medulla
input to Vestibular Nuclei
- CN8
- visual system
- auditory system
- somatosensory system
- Inhibition from the cerebellum
- ocular motor nuclei
- brainstem
Output from Vestibular nuclei
VOR/VSR control
Extraocular/neck mm (MVST)
postural ms (LVST)
Cerebellum (“repair shop” for PVS)