Effect of water immersion on post-rotatory and caloric nystagmus.
Caloric nystagmus and post-rotatory nystagmus were recorded with and without head-out water immersion. As water immersion reduces body weight by about 90% owing to buoyancy, it decreases somatosensory inputs. Thus water immersion can be used to simulate a weightless environment. Caloric nystagmus was enhanced significantly by water immersion; however, post-rotatory nystagmus was not. These findings demonstrate that caloric nystagmus is easily affected by water immersion which decreases somatosensory inputs, but that post-rotatory nystagmus is not.
Department of Otolaryngology, NTT Tokai General Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Y
Y
Inoue
M
M
Hashiba
S
S
Baba
S
S
Watanabe
R
R
Von Baumgarten
D002150:Caloric Tests; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D012399:Rotation; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000502:physiology