Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography

Electrocochleography (EcochG), incorporating the Cochlear Microphonic (CM), the Summating Potential (SP), and the cochlear Compound Action Potential (CAP), has been used to study cochlear function in humans and experimental animals since the 1930s, providing a simple objective tool to assess both ha...

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Main Authors: Brown, Daniel, Pastras, C., Curthoys, I.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74084
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author Brown, Daniel
Pastras, C.
Curthoys, I.
author_facet Brown, Daniel
Pastras, C.
Curthoys, I.
author_sort Brown, Daniel
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Electrocochleography (EcochG), incorporating the Cochlear Microphonic (CM), the Summating Potential (SP), and the cochlear Compound Action Potential (CAP), has been used to study cochlear function in humans and experimental animals since the 1930s, providing a simple objective tool to assess both hair cell (HC) and nerve sensitivity. The vestibular equivalent of ECochG, termed here Electrovestibulography (EVestG), incorporates responses of the vestibular HCs and nerve. Few research groups have utilized EVestG to study vestibular function. Arguably, this is because stimulating the cochlea in isolation with sound is a trivial matter, whereas stimulating the vestibular system in isolation requires significantly more technical effort. That is, the vestibular system is sensitive to both high-level sound and bone-conducted vibrations, but so is the cochlea, and gross electrical responses of the inner ear to such stimuli can be difficult to interpret. Fortunately, several simple techniques can be employed to isolate vestibular electrical responses. Here, we review the literature underpinning gross vestibular nerve and HC responses, and we discuss the nomenclature used in this field. We also discuss techniques for recording EVestG in experimental animals and humans and highlight how EVestG is furthering our understanding of the vestibular system.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-740842019-06-25T00:53:07Z Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography Brown, Daniel Pastras, C. Curthoys, I. Electrocochleography (EcochG), incorporating the Cochlear Microphonic (CM), the Summating Potential (SP), and the cochlear Compound Action Potential (CAP), has been used to study cochlear function in humans and experimental animals since the 1930s, providing a simple objective tool to assess both hair cell (HC) and nerve sensitivity. The vestibular equivalent of ECochG, termed here Electrovestibulography (EVestG), incorporates responses of the vestibular HCs and nerve. Few research groups have utilized EVestG to study vestibular function. Arguably, this is because stimulating the cochlea in isolation with sound is a trivial matter, whereas stimulating the vestibular system in isolation requires significantly more technical effort. That is, the vestibular system is sensitive to both high-level sound and bone-conducted vibrations, but so is the cochlea, and gross electrical responses of the inner ear to such stimuli can be difficult to interpret. Fortunately, several simple techniques can be employed to isolate vestibular electrical responses. Here, we review the literature underpinning gross vestibular nerve and HC responses, and we discuss the nomenclature used in this field. We also discuss techniques for recording EVestG in experimental animals and humans and highlight how EVestG is furthering our understanding of the vestibular system. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74084 10.3389/fnsys.2017.00034 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Brown, Daniel
Pastras, C.
Curthoys, I.
Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title_full Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title_fullStr Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title_full_unstemmed Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title_short Electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—A review of electrovestibulography
title_sort electrophysiological measurements of peripheral vestibular function—a review of electrovestibulography
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74084