Self-consciousness is the remarkable human experience of being a subject: the "I". Self-consciousness is typically bound to a body, and particularly to the spatial dimensions of the body, as well as to its location and displacement in the gravitational field. Because the vestibular system encodes head position and movement in three-dimensional space, vestibular cortical processing likely contri...

Information from the vestibular peripheral organs in the inner ear is integrated with several other classes of signals about the body, generated by eyes, muscles and joints. The resulting signals provide a coherent sense of body posture and orientation in surrounding space. In this project, the vestibular organs of healthy volunteers were stimulated noninvasively. Participants made judgements a...

Hypergravity disrupts the circadian regulation of temperature (Temp) and locomotor activity (Act) mediated through the vestibular otolithic system in mice. In contrast, we do not know whether the anatomical structures associated with vestibular input are crucial for circadian rhythm regulation at 1 G on Earth. In the present study we observed the effects of bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) on th...

Dizziness is a common symptom in medical practice, and may be associated with over 300 diseases. Although most cases of dizziness are related to vestibular system dysfunction, some result from involvement of other parts of the body. Recent studies have shows that there is an association between auditory/vestibular symptoms and autonomous nervous system dysfunction, suggesting that this may be a...

Our sense of balance and spatial orientation strongly depends on the correct functionality of our vestibular system. Vestibular dysfunction can lead to blurred vision and impaired balance and spatial orientation, causing a significant decrease in quality of life. Recent studies have shown that vestibular implants offer a possible treatment for patients with vestibular dysfunction. The close pro...

A postural change from a recumbent to an upright position induces an increase in the hydrostatic pressure gradient, a footward fluid shift, reduced venous return and cardiac output, and reduced arterial pressure (AP). This reduction in AP is sensed by baroreceptors in the blood vessels, and AP is thought to be stabilized by the arterial baroreflex, an important negative feedback process. Altern...