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Related Concept Videos

Equilibrium and Balance01:15

Equilibrium and Balance

The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...
The Vestibular System01:29

The Vestibular System

The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures within the labyrinth of the inner ear, including the cochlea and two otolith organs—the utricle and saccule. The labyrinth also contains three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—that are oriented on different planes.
Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Anatomy of the Ear01:16

Anatomy of the Ear

Auditory sensation, commonly called hearing, involves the transformation of sonic waves into neural impulses facilitated by the structures of the auditory organ. The prominent, flesh-like structure on the side of the head, called the auricle, directs sound waves towards the auditory canal. The auricle is often mislabeled as the pinna, a term more aligned with mobile structures like a feline's external ear. The auditory canal penetrates the cranium via the external auditory meatus of the...
Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
The Auditory Ossicles01:11

The Auditory Ossicles

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear transmit sounds from the air as vibrations to the fluid-filled cochlea. The auditory ossicles consist of two malleus (hammer) bones, two incus (anvil) bones, and two stapes (stirrups), one on each side. These bones develop during the fetal stage and are the ones to ossify first. They are fully mature at birth and do not grow afterward.
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction
05:02

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

Published on: August 30, 2019

Saccular function less affected than canal function in bilateral vestibulopathy.

Vera C Zingler1, Eva Weintz, Klaus Jahn

  • 1Dept. of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistrasse 15, 81377, Munich, Germany. vera-carina.zingler@med.uni-muenchen.de

Journal of Neurology
|October 1, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) patients show less saccular dysfunction than horizontal semicircular canal dysfunction. Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) revealed preserved saccular function in most BV patients, unlike caloric testing results.

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Testing of all Six Semicircular Canals with Video Head Impulse Test Systems
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Testing of all Six Semicircular Canals with Video Head Impulse Test Systems

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Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

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05:02

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Testing of all Six Semicircular Canals with Video Head Impulse Test Systems
08:38

Testing of all Six Semicircular Canals with Video Head Impulse Test Systems

Published on: April 18, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Otolaryngology
  • Vestibular System Research

Background:

  • Bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) involves impaired function of both labyrinths or eighth nerves.
  • Current diagnostic methods like caloric irrigation primarily assess semicircular canal function.
  • Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) offer a measure of saccular otolith function, complementing existing tests.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and severity of saccular dysfunction in patients diagnosed with BV.
  • To investigate the correlation between saccular dysfunction and horizontal semicircular canal dysfunction in BV patients.

Main Methods:

  • Eighty-four patients with BV and 47 healthy controls underwent VEMPs and electronystagmography with caloric irrigation.
  • Standardized neuro-ophthalmological and -otological examinations were performed.
  • Analysis focused on VEMP amplitudes (P1-N1) and caloric response, alongside latencies.

Main Results:

  • VEMP P1-N1 amplitudes were significantly lower in BV patients compared to controls.
  • While caloric responses were absent bilaterally in 40 BV patients, VEMPs were only unilaterally absent in four.
  • No significant correlation was found between VEMP amplitudes and caloric-induced nystagmus.

Conclusions:

  • Saccular function appears less affected than horizontal semicircular canal function in the studied BV population.
  • VEMPs are a valuable tool for assessing saccular function in BV, providing complementary information to semicircular canal tests.