Disrupted functional connectivity of the default mode network due to acute vestibular deficit.
Vestibular neuritis is defined as a sudden unilateral partial failure of the vestibular nerve that impairs the forwarding of vestibular information from the labyrinth. The patient suffers from vertigo, horizontal nystagmus and postural instability with a tendency toward ipsilesional falls. Although vestibular neuritis is a common disease, the central mechanisms to compensate for the loss of precise vestibular information remain poorly understood. It was hypothesized that symptoms following acute vestibular neuritis originate from difficulties in the processing of diverging sensory information between the responsible brain networks. Accordingly an altered resting activity was shown in multiple brain areas of the task-positive network. Because of the known balance between the task-positive and task-negative networks (default mode network; DMN) we hypothesize that also the DMN is involved. Here, we employ functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the resting state to investigate changes in the functional connectivity between the DMN and task-positive networks, in a longitudinal design combined with measurements of caloric function. We demonstrate an initially disturbed connectedness of the DMN after vestibular neuritis. We hypothesize that the disturbed connectivity between the default mode network and particular parts of the task-positive network might be related to a sustained utilization of processing capacity by diverging sensory information. The current results provide some insights into mechanisms of central compensation following an acute vestibular deficit and the importance of the DMN in this disease.
Department of Neurology, University of Jena, Germany.
Carsten M
CM
Klingner
Department for Otorhinolaryngology, University of Jena, Germany.
Gerd F
GF
Volk
Department of Neurology, University of Jena, Germany.
Stefan
S
Brodoehl
Department of Neurology, University of Jena, Germany.
Otto W
OW
Witte
Department for Otorhinolaryngology, University of Jena, Germany.
Orlando
O
Guntinas-Lichius
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020338:Vestibular Neuronitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
Functional connectivity; Resting state; Vestibular cortex; Vestibular deficit; fMRI