title: Caloric vestibular stimulation modulates affective control and mood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Clinical evidence suggests a link between vestibular dysfunctions and mood disorders. No study has yet investigated mood and affective control during vestibular stimulation in healthy participants.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We predicted a modulating effect of caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) on affective control measured in an affective Go/NoGo task (AGN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two participants performed an AGN task while they were exposed to cold left or right ear CVS (20 °C) and sham stimulation (37 °C). In each block, either positive or negative pictures (taken from the International Affective Picture System) were defined as targets. Participants had to respond to targets (Go), and withhold responses to distractors (NoGo).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity index d' (hits - false alarms) was used to measure affective control. Affective control improved during right ear CVS when viewing positive stimuli (P = .005), but decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation (P = .009). CVS had a similar effect on positive mood ratings (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Positive mood ratings decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation, but there was no effect after right ear CVS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that CVS, depending on side of stimulation, has a modulating effect on mood and affective control. The results complement previous findings in manic patients and provide new evidence for the clinical potential of CVS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: nora.preuss@psy.unibe.ch.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Preuss
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gregor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hasler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Switzerland; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Fred W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Mast
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D002150:Caloric Tests; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Affect regulation; Affective Go/NoGo; Caloric vestibular stimulation; Mania; Mood