Psychological Well-Being, Neuroticism, and the Risk of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A Triangulation Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Genetics

Background:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) frequently co-occurs with psychiatric and psychological conditions.
• The causal relationship between mental health and BPPV is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between psychological well-being, neuroticism, and BPPV risk.
• To explore potential causal directions using a triangulation framework.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data (N=3842).
• Longitudinal cohort analysis of UK Biobank data (N=401,265) with a median follow-up of 12.4 years.
• Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) using genome-wide association studies and FinnGen datasets.

Main Results:

• Higher life satisfaction correlated with lower odds of BPPV symptoms in cross-sectional analysis.
• Longitudinal analysis showed higher neuroticism and life satisfaction were inversely associated with incident BPPV risk.
• Mendelian randomization suggested inverse genetic associations for life satisfaction and positive affect with BPPV, and a risk-mitigating effect of neuroticism. No reverse causality from BPPV to mental health was found.

Conclusions:

• Multi-method evidence suggests favorable psychological states are inversely associated with BPPV.
• Neuroticism is associated with decreased BPPV incidence, contrary to some previous assumptions.
• Findings highlight an association between psychological traits and vestibular health, requiring further investigation for potential clinical implications.