Effects of caloric vestibular stimulation on parietal and temporal blood flow in human brain: a consecutive technetium-99m-HMPAO spect study.

The effects of caloric vestibular stimulation on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) of the parietal and temporal cortex were examined in 10 healthy volunteers. The consecutive 99mTe-hexamethyl-propyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) method with region of interest analysis was used. Changes in rCBF induced by caloric stimulation with cold air (25 degrees C) were evaluated in comparison with those induced by control stimulation with air at body temperature (37 degrees C). Caloric stimulation with cold air induced vertigo in 4 subjects, dizziness in 2, and no sensation of self-motion in the remaining 4 subjects, whereas, control stimulation did not induce the sensation of self-motion in any subject. Although both parietal and temporal rCBF were slightly decreased during caloric stimulation, a correlation could be established between the magnitude of left-right differences in change of parietal rCBF and the degree of self-motion perception induced by cold-air caloric stimulation, as compared to control stimulation. Left-right differences in change of parietal rCBF in subjects with vertigo during caloric stimulation were significantly higher than those in subjects without any sensation of self-motion. In contrast, there was no correlation between the magnitude of left-right difference in change of parietal rCBF and maximum slow phase eye velocity induced by caloric stimulation. These findings suggest that the parietal lobe is involved in the perception of vertigo due to vestibular stimulation, but not in the vestibulo-ocular reflex.