Clinical investigation of the vestibular cortex

This study attempted to identify the vestibular cortex that is involved in the perception of vestibular vertigo in the human brain. We used single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to measure regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in two cerebrovascular patients with nystagmus-sensation dissociation, which is known as brisk caloric nystagmus without simultaneous sensation of vertigo. Both patients had ischemic lesions involving mainly the parieto-temporal lobe in the nondominant hemisphere. It is suggested that the parieto-temporal lobe in the nondominant hemisphere contains the vestibular cortex which is a center for the perception of vertigo due to vestibular stimulation.