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Behavioral Assessment of the Aging Mouse Vestibular System
Published on: July 11, 2014
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Vestibular Function in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review
Joyce Bosmans1, Cathérine Jorissen1,2, Annick Gilles1,2,3
1Department of Translational Neurosciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Ear and Hearing
|May 11, 2021
Summary
Vestibular testing, specifically the VEMP test, can help identify early signs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This method differentiates cognitive decline from healthy aging, offering a new avenue for dementia screening.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), is a growing public health concern, making early identification crucial.
- Vestibular dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a potential early indicator and contributor to AD.
- Vestibular assessment offers a promising, non-invasive approach for early dementia screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and compare objective vestibular function measures.
- To compare vestibular function in older adults with cognitive impairment (MCI or AD) versus those with preserved cognition.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search for studies using objective vestibular testing in MCI/AD patients compared to controls.
- Included studies evaluated peripheral vestibular function using tests like vHIT, VNG, ENG, and VEMP.
- Two independent investigators screened publications, with no date or language restrictions.
Main Results:
- Seven studies involving 235 cognitively impaired (150 AD, 85 MCI) and 481 cognitively preserved adults were analyzed.
- The Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) test, assessing otolith function and vestibulocollic reflex (VCR), significantly differentiated AD/MCI patients from controls (p < 0.05).
- No correlation was found between cognitive decline and vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) measurements across various semicircular canal frequencies.
Conclusions:
- VEMP test measurements of the VCR effectively distinguish individuals with MCI and AD from those with normal cognition.
- Vestibulo-ocular reflex measurements did not show similar discriminatory power.
- Further research is warranted to validate these findings due to study heterogeneity and limited sample sizes.
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