Abstract
With an ageing population, techniques to improve balance function are necessary and likely to reduce the risk of falling due to age-related vestibular dysfunction. Previous work has shown that Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) improves balance function in regards to vestibular output measures including Centre of Pressure (CoP) sway and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (oVEMPs). Presumably these improvements are due to the modulation of primary vestibular afferents and vestibular hair cells, possibly via the phenomenon of Stochastic Resonance (SR). Specifically, SR is defined by the application of low-level noise which increases the detectability of subthreshold signals in non-linear systems, including the vestibular system. Major limitations to determining the most effective therapeutic approach to improve balance function using GVS-induced SR are the limited number of studies assessing the direct impact of GVS on vestibular function, and the heterogeneity of reported GVS stimulus parameters used. Indeed, there is a near complete paucity of comparative investigations between the major types of GVS including stochastic and white noise stimuli. Thus, the question arises - whether an optimal set of stimulus parameters to improve vestibular output can be ascertained from the currently available data? We conducted a systematic appraisal of the literature regarding the impact of GVS on vestibular function in healthy individuals as a means for answering this question.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 533-535 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Brain Stimulation |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Open Access - Access Right Statement
© 2020 Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/ 4.0/).Keywords
- falls (accidents)
- older people