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Related Concept Videos

The Vestibular System01:29

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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.
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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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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.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane
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Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

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Central not peripheral vestibular processing impairs gait coordination.

Yoav Gimmon1, Jennifer Millar2, Rebecca Pak3

  • 1Laboratory of Vestibular NeuroAdaptation, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, 6th Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287-0910, USA.

Experimental Brain Research
|August 19, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Central vestibular processing issues, not peripheral deficits, significantly impair gait coordination. Aberrant central processing disrupts the neural linkage to spinal cord pattern generators, indicated by the phase coordination index (PCI).

Keywords:
Gait coordinationGait rhythmicityMigraineSensory integrationSensory reweightingVestibular

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Biomechanics
  • Vestibular System Research

Background:

  • Gait coordination relies on spinal central pattern generators influenced by cortical and vestibular systems.
  • Central vestibular processing disorders can cause symptoms without peripheral lesions.
  • Vestibular and somatosensory inputs are crucial for gait, especially in reduced visual conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gait coordination differences in patients with central vestibular processing disorders compared to those with peripheral vestibular dysfunction and healthy controls.
  • To determine if aberrant central vestibular processing leads to unique gait characteristics and impaired coordination.
  • To assess the influence of visual conditions on gait in these groups.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited 118 subjects, including patients with central vestibular disorders (normal peripheral function) and patients with peripheral vestibular deficits.
  • Assessed peripheral vestibular function through laboratory and clinical examinations.
  • Instructed subjects to walk under three visual conditions: eyes open, intermittent eyes open/closed, and eyes closed, measuring gait spatiotemporal parameters and coordination via the phase coordination index (PCI).

Main Results:

  • Both patient groups exhibited spatiotemporal gait patterns significantly different from healthy controls.
  • Only the central vestibular patient group demonstrated abnormal gait coordination, as measured by a significantly impaired phase coordination index (PCI).
  • No significant interactions were found between groups and walking conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Peripheral vestibular deficits impact gait, but central processing of vestibular information has a more profound influence on gait coordination.
  • Abnormal PCI in central vestibular patients suggests a neural un-coupling between the brain and spinal cord central pattern generators.
  • The phase coordination index (PCI) appears to be a sensitive indicator of the integrity of the brain-spinal cord linkage for gait control.