Somaesthetic perception of the vertical in spinal cord injured patients: a clinical study.
OBJECTIVE
The perception of verticality results from the integration of vestibular, visual and somatosensory information. Spinal cord injured patients with complete paraplegia have total somatosensory deafferentation below a certain metameric segment. In our study, we were interested in the implication of somatosensory signal in the construction of verticality and in the possible effect of somatosensory loss on spatial representation.


METHODS
We analysed haptic and postural aspects of perceived verticality in 14 spinal cord injured patients with complete paraplegia and in an age- and gender-matched group of 13 controls. We also conducted a structured interview on the existence of vertigo or postural instability in daily life.


RESULTS
The spinal cord injured patients perceived verticality without any significant directional bias in the orientation of the vertical but with a greater uncertainty than control subjects, both in haptic and postural modalities. If paraplegic did not report vertigo, half described an altered spatial perception without vision.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results confirm the importance of sensory input from the trunk and the lower limbs in the perception of the vertical. However, visual and vestibular information appear to compensate for somatosensory deafferentation.
Joassin
R
R
Pôle rééducation, service de rééducation neurologique, CHU de Dijon, rue Gaffarel, Dijon, France.
Bonniaud
V
V
Barra
J
J
Marquer
A
A
Pérennou
D
D
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000503:physiopathology