The effect of age on the sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test, pseudorandom rotation test, velocity step test, caloric test, and vestibular-evoked myogenic potential test.
OBJECTIVE
Age-related anatomical and morphologic vestibular deterioration has already been elaborated. Demonstrating a corresponding degradation in physiologic function, however, entails a much higher challenge. The objective of this study was to investigate age-related changes using rotational tests, caloric tests, and the vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) test.


METHODS
Eighty healthy human subjects (38 men and 42 women) ranging in age from 18 to 80 yrs participated in this study and were subjected to an extensive vestibular test battery. Function tests included sinusoidal harmonic acceleration tests, a pseudorandom rotation test, velocity step tests, a caloric test, and a VEMP test.


RESULTS
No significant age trends were noted for the sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test and velocity step tests response parameters, in contrast to subtle decreasing gain values with advancing age for the pseudorandom rotation test. Increasing slow-component velocity values were measured with the caloric test, whereas the frequency parameter showed no relevant age changes. The largest age trends were detected with the VEMP, with decreasing amplitudes, increasing thresholds, and decreasing N1 latencies. All asymmetry parameters remained stable across the different age categories.


CONCLUSIONS
Only subtle age changes could be demonstrated with the rotational and caloric tests, in contrast to more pronounced age trends with the VEMP.
Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine, ENT-Department, B 9000 Ghent, Belgium. LeenK.Maes@Ugent.be
Leen
L
Maes
Ingeborg
I
Dhooge
Wendy
W
D'haenens
Annelies
A
Bockstael
Hannah
H
Keppler
Birgit
B
Philips
Freya
F
Swinnen
Bart M
BM
Vinck
D000054:Acceleration; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002150:Caloric Tests; D004576:Electromyography; D004584:Electronystagmography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012399:Rotation; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult