Affiliations: [a] Department of Otolaryngology, Petz Aladár Teaching Hospital, 9023 Győr, Vasváry Pál u. 2-4., Hungary
| [b] Vestibular Genetics Laboratory, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA
| [c] Department of Otolaryngology, Karl Landsteiner University Hospital Krems, Krems an der Donau, Austria
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Béla Büki, MD, Department of Otolaryngology, Karl Landsteiner University Hospital Krems, 3500 Krems, Mitterweg 10, Austria. Tel.: +43 2732 9004 2242; Fax: +43 2732 9004 5243; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:When viewing a far target, the gain of the horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is around 1.0, but when viewing a near target there is an increased response. It has been shown that while this convergence-mediated modulation is unaffected by canal plugging and clinically practical transmastoid galvanic stimulation, it is eliminated by a partial peripheral gentamicin lesion. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to determine if convergence increases the gain during peripheral hyposensitivity elicited by cold thermal irrigation. METHODS:The high frequency VOR gain was measured using video head impulse testing immediately after the cold caloric stimulus in 9 healthy human subjects with the lateral semicircular canals oriented approximately earth-vertical. RESULTS:Before caloric irrigation, near viewing (15 cm) increased the average VOR gain by 28% (from 1 to 1.28). Cold (24°C) water irrigation of the right ear decreased the gain to 0.66 (far viewing) and 0.82 (near viewing) (22% difference). Although vergence also increased the gain for impulses to the left to the same degree before caloric stimulus, the caloric irrigation itself (applied to the right ear) did not influence the gain for contralateral impulses. CONCLUSION:In our experiments vergence increased the gain of the human angular VOR during peripheral hyposensitivity elicited by cold thermal irrigation. These results suggest that cold irrigation does not abolish the function of the nonlinear/phasic vestibular afferent pathway.
