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The Vestibular System

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.

Equilibrium and Balance

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Measuring the Influence of Magnetic Vestibular Stimulation on Nystagmus, Self-Motion Perception, and Cognitive Performance in a 7T MRT

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Effects of Galvanic vestibular stimulation on cognitive function.

Valentina Dilda¹, Hamish G MacDougall, Ian S Curthoys

¹Human Aerospace Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1052, New York, NY 10029, USA.

Experimental Brain Research

|November 15, 2011

Summary

Degraded vestibular input from Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) impairs specific cognitive functions. Suprathreshold GVS negatively impacted perspective-taking and matching-to-sample tasks, but not others.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Vestibular System Research

Background:

Vestibular input influences cortical activity, but its direct impact on cognition is not well understood.
Non-veridical vestibular input may adversely affect cognitive performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the hypothesis that degraded vestibular afferent input negatively affects cognitive function.
To assess the impact of suprathreshold Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on a cognitive test battery.

Main Methods:

A cognitive test battery including reaction time, dual tasking, Stroop, mental rotation, perspective-taking, matching-to-sample, and manual tracking was administered.
Participants underwent suprathreshold bilateral bipolar GVS or subthreshold stimulation, with testing before, during, and after stimulation.

Main Results:

Suprathreshold GVS significantly increased error rates in perspective-taking and matching-to-sample tasks compared to the subthreshold group.
Cognitive tasks including reaction time, dual tasking, mental rotation, and manual tracking were unaffected by GVS.
Findings align with neuroimaging studies showing vestibular input's role in egocentric transformations (perspective-taking) and spatial memory (matching-to-sample).

Conclusions:

Non-veridical vestibular input, induced by suprathreshold GVS, adversely affects specific cognitive functions, particularly those involving egocentric spatial processing and spatial memory.
The results highlight the crucial role of accurate vestibular information in maintaining cognitive performance in certain domains.