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Updated: May 7, 2026
Stochastic Noise Application for the Assessment of Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neuron Sensitivity In Vitro
Published on: August 28, 2019
Are cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) sensitive enough for the evaluation of patients with
Pavlos Pavlidis1,2,3,4, Sotirios Papagianopoulos5, Haralampos Gouveris6
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology / Head & Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany. papavlid@googlemail.com.
Background:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term neurological condition that impacts the brain and spinal cord. The infratentorial area houses the cerebellum and brainstem. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are myogenic responses with short latency. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) represents a reflection of the vestibulocolic reflex.
Methods:
A total of 32 consecutive patients participated in the study (males, n = 12; females, n = 20). Cervical VEMP (cVEMP) were examined for latencies, conduction block, and amplitude asymmetry ratio, and the VEMP score was determined. MRI was examined for brainstem lesions collectively and individually for lesions in the pons, midbrain, and medulla oblongata. Their findings were compared to those of 32 healthy individuals.
Results:
In the research, 5 RRMS patients (2.1%) exhibited no reaction in the cVEMP test for both the right and left ear (as explained in Tables 1 and 2). The average latencies for P1 and N1 in the left ears of RRMS patients were notably greater than those in the control group, yielding p-values of 0.001 and 0.002, respectively. Nevertheless, there was no notable difference in the P1-N1 interval or mean amplitude of the left ear when comparing patients and controls (p > 0.05). Conversely, the P1 and N1 latencies, as well as the average P1-N1 interval for the patients' right ears, were notably greater than those of the control group, with p-values of 0.01, 0.001, and 0.004, respectively. Extended latencies for P1 and N1 were noted in 42 (65%) of the 64 RRMS ears and in 27 ears (42%), respectively.
Conclusion:
Vestibular evoked myogenic potential has a high sensitivity (70%) in MS patients, and VEMP could be recommended as a useful complementary neurophysiological method to evaluate the MS patients.
