Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 20, 2025
08:12
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
9.8K
Posture influences on vestibulospinal tract excitability
Hiroaki Tanaka1,2, Junji Nakamura1,3, Tomoyuki Siozaki4
1Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kio University, 4-2-2 Umami-naka, Koryo-cho, Kitakatsuragigun, Nara, 635-0832, Japan.
Experimental Brain Research
|January 22, 2021
Summary
Body posture affects vestibulospinal tract excitability. Sitting positions showed higher excitability than lying down, suggesting posture influences postural control mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Physiology
- Motor Control
Background:
- The vestibulospinal tract is crucial for maintaining balance and postural stability.
- The influence of different body postures on vestibulospinal tract excitability remained unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether body postures modulate vestibulospinal tract excitability.
- To determine the role of cutaneous input from galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) in posture-dependent effects.
Main Methods:
- Neurophysiological assessment using soleus H-reflex.
- Application of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) before tibial nerve stimulation.
- Comparison of GVS effects on H-reflex in prone, supine, and sitting positions.
Main Results:
- Vestibulospinal tract excitability, measured by H-reflex facilitation, was significantly higher in the sitting position compared to prone and supine.
- Cutaneous input from GVS contributed to facilitation, but this effect was more pronounced in the sitting position.
Conclusions:
- Body posture influences vestibulospinal tract excitability, with higher excitability observed in sitting positions.
- This heightened excitability in sitting may reflect an increased demand for postural control in this posture.
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