title: Motion Perception in Patients with Idiopathic Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction.
abstract: We measured vestibular perceptual thresholds in patients with idiopathic bilateral vestibulopathy to assess the distribution of peripheral vestibular damage in this disorder. Thresholds were measured with standard psychometric techniques in 4 patients and compared with thresholds in normal subjects and patients with completely absent peripheral vestibular function. Motion paradigms included yaw rotation (testing the lateral canals), interaural translation (testing the utricles), superior-inferior translation (testing the saccules), and roll tilt (testing the vertical semicircular canals and the otolith organs). We found that perceptual thresholds were abnormally elevated in the patients with idiopathic bilateral vestibulopathy for yaw rotation at all frequencies and for interaural translation at only the lower frequencies. Thresholds were normal for the other 2 motion paradigms. The results demonstrate that the distribution of vestibular dysfunction in this disorder is not uniform but, rather, can affect lateral canal and utricular thresholds while relatively sparing vertical canal and saccular function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology & Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Adrian J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Priesol
authors.affiliation: Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Valko
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology & Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Merfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Otology & Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA richard_lewis@meei.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: motion; orientation; perception; psychophysics; vestibular