Bilateral vestibulopathy decreases self-motion perception

L. van Stiphout*, F. Lucieer, M. Pleshkov, V. Van Rompaey, J. Widdershoven, N. Guinand, A.P. Fornos, H. Kingma, R. van de Berg

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective Current diagnostic criteria for bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) primarily involve measurements of vestibular reflexes. Perceptual self-motion thresholds however, are not routinely measured and their clinical value in this specific population is not yet fully determined. Objectives of this study were (1) to compare perceptual self-motion thresholds between BV patients and control subjects, and (2) to explore patterns of self-motion perception performance and vestibular function in BV patients. Methods Thirty-seven BV patients and 34 control subjects were included in this study. Perceptual self-motion thresholds were measured in both groups using a CAREN platform (Motek Medical BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Vestibular function was evaluated (only in BV patients) by the caloric test, torsion swing test, video head impulse test of all semicircular canals, and cervical- and ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. Differences in thresholds between both groups were analyzed. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to visualize patterns between self-motion perception and vestibular function within the group of BV patients. Results Perceptual self-motion thresholds were significantly higher in BV patients compared to control subjects, regarding nearly all rotations and translations (depending on the age group) (p <= 0.001). Cluster analysis showed that within the group of BV patients, higher perceptual self-motion thresholds were generally associated with lower vestibular test results (significant for yaw rotation, caloric test, torsion swing test, and video head impulse test (p <= 0.001)). Conclusion Self-motion perception is significantly decreased in BV patients compared to control subjects regarding nearly all rotations and translations. Furthermore, decreased self-motion perception is generally associated with lower residual vestibular function in BV patients.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5216-5228
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Neurology
Volume269
Issue number10
Early online date14 Jul 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2022

Keywords

  • Bilateral vestibulopathy
  • Perceptual self-motion thresholds
  • Vestibular
  • Perception
  • Threshold
  • Self-motion perception
  • QUALITY-OF-LIFE
  • THRESHOLDS
  • HYPOFUNCTION
  • CHALLENGES
  • CRITERIA
  • IMPLANT
  • BALANCE

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