Tapping the head activates the vestibular system: a new use for the clinical reflex hammer.
We investigated the use of skull taps with a modified clinical reflex hammer as a method of vestibular activation. Using recently described EMG techniques to measure vestibulocollic reflexes in response to clicks, we were able to show analogous short-latency potentials to taps. The earliest responses were invariably absent on the side of a previous vestibular nerve section but were preserved in profound sensorineural or conductive hearing loss. We propose that the taps activated the vestibular apparatus directly by a bone-conducted vibration wave.
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology*