title: Epidemiology of vestibulo-ocular reflex function: data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine age-related changes in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) function in community-dwelling adults, and evaluate these for associations with demographic characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis within the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), a longitudinal prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vestibular testing laboratory within an acute care teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-dwelling adults enrolled in the BLSA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Horizontal VOR gain measurement using video head-impulse testing and visual acuity testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  VOR gain was calculated as the ratio of eye velocity to head velocity. Demographic and cardiovascular risk factor data were collected through study questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred nine subjects were analyzed with mean age (SD) 69.9 years (14.2), with a range from 26 to 92 years. VOR gain remained stable from age 26 to 79 after which it significantly declined at a rate of 0.012/year (p = 0.033) in adjusted analyses. Individuals aged 80 years or older had a nearly 8-fold increased odds of VOR gain less than 0.80 relative to those aged less than 80 years in multivariate models (prevalence of 13.2% vs. 2.8%; OR 7.79, 95% CI: 1.04-58.38). Otherwise, VOR gain did not differ significantly across demographic or cardiovascular risk groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report age-related decline in VOR function in individuals aged 80 years and older. Further analyses are in progress to establish the significance of these VOR abnormalities to functional and mobility outcomes in older individuals.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.; †Department of Ophthalmology, The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.; ‡Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.; and §Longitudinal Studies Section, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Layman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Anson
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015142:Baltimore; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019416:Head Movements / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors