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Top-down control of vestibular inputs by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Brendan McCarthy1,2, Sudipta Datta1,2, Gianni Sesa-Ashton1
1Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Experimental Brain Research
|October 30, 2023
Summary
Electrical stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) can reduce vestibular sensations like sway and nausea. This suggests the dlPFC exerts top-down control over vestibular processing, offering a potential treatment for motion sickness.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Vestibular System
- Neurostimulation
Background:
- The vestibular apparatus provides crucial spatial and gravitational information.
- Low-frequency sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation (sGVS) can induce perceptions of sway and nausea.
- The insular cortex, part of the vestibular cortex, receives input from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether electrical stimulation of the dlPFC can modulate vestibular inputs.
- To test the hypothesis of top-down control of vestibular processing by the dlPFC.
Main Methods:
- Participants received sinusoidal electrical stimulation (±2 mA, 0.08 Hz) over the mastoid processes (sGVS), dlPFC (F4 or F3), or concurrently (sGVS + dlPFC).
- 23 participants were tested with right dlPFC stimulation, and 13 with left dlPFC stimulation.
- Perceptions of sway and nausea were recorded.
Main Results:
- sGVS induced sway perception and nausea in participants.
- dlPFC stimulation alone did not elicit these sensations.
- Concurrent sGVS and dlPFC stimulation almost completely abolished vestibular perceptions and nausea.
Conclusions:
- The dlPFC exerts top-down control over vestibular inputs.
- dlPFC stimulation may offer a novel therapeutic approach for managing nausea associated with vestibular disturbances.
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