title: Postural compensation strategy depends on the severity of vestibular damage.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various levels of vestibular function on balance in two, free-standing rhesus monkeys. We hypothesized that postural control strategy depended on the severity of vestibular damage. More specifically, that increased muscle stiffness (via short-latency mechanisms) was adequate to compensate for mild damage, but long-latency mechanisms must be utilized for more severe vestibular damage. One animal was studied for pre-ablated and mild vestibular dysfunction states, while a second animal was studied in a pre-ablated and severe vestibular dysfunction state. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), an eye movement reflex directly linked to vestibular function, was used to quantify the level of vestibular damage. A postural feedback controller model, previously only used for human studies, was modified to interpret non-human primate postural responses (differences observed in the measured trunk roll) for these three levels of vestibular function. By implementing a feedback controller model, we were able to further interpret our empirical findings and model results were consistent with our above hypothesis. This study establishes a baseline for future studies of non-human primate posture.
authors.affiliation: Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard- MIT Health Sciences and Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E25-519, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Lara A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Csilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haburcakova
authors.affiliation: Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard- MIT Health Sciences and Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, E25-519, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lewis
keywords: Biomedical engineering; Health sciences; Physiology