title: Epidemiology of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials: Data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether age-related changes in vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) differ by demographic and cardiovascular risk groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging underwent cervical and ocular VEMP testing. VEMP latency, amplitude, asymmetry ratios, and prevalence of absent responses were compared across demographic and cardiovascular risk groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 257 participants (mean age 72.9, 57% female), ocular VEMP (oVEMP) n10 latency increased by 0.12ms/decade while amplitude decreased by 2.9μV/decade. Black participants had better oVEMP function (shorter latency, increased amplitude, and decreased odds of absent responses) relative to white participants. In 250 participants (mean age 72.6, 54% female), EMG-corrected cervical VEMP (cVEMP) amplitude decreased by 0.14μV/decade and p13 latency was 0.38ms longer in males. The odds of absent responses were significantly higher in individuals age ⩾80 for oVEMPs, and age ⩾70 for cVEMPs. Cardiovascular risk factors had no association with VEMP parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We confirmed age-related declines in otolith function, and observed a protective effect of black race on oVEMP latency and amplitude.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results illustrate how measures of otolith function change with age in community-dwelling adults. Further investigations are needed to ascertain whether better otolith function in blacks might contribute to a lower risk of mobility disability and falls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Layman
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Electronic address: yagrawa1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D044383:Black People; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D058585:Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology*; D044465:White People
keywords: Aging; Vestibular; Vestibular evoked myogenic potential