Habituation to galvanic vestibular stimulation for analysis of postural control abilities in gymnasts

The possible correlation between postural control abilities in gymnasts and the sensitivity for and the degree of short-term habituation to galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) was studied. Seven balance trained young girls (Dutch National Junior Gymnasts Championship) versus seven non-trained girls and twenty-five women underwent computer-controlled GVS using a monaural continuous 1-cosinusoidal stimulus of 0.5 Hz and 2 mA, repeated three times on each side [Balter, Stokroos, Boumans, Kingma, Acta Otolaryngol. (in press); Balter, Stokroos, Eterman, Paredis, Orbons, Kingma, Acta Otolaryngol. (in press)]. Results showed that mean total galvanic-induced body sway (GBS) gain was significantly lower in the trained and untrained girls compared to the adult women (P < 0.05). Mean habituation to GVS (learning abilities), however, showed no significant differences between the three groups. We suggest that the superior balance control in professional gymnasts is primarily achieved through motor training and not by learning abilities or a higher sensitivity of the vestibular system [Neurosci. Lett. 225 (1998) 155].