Body weight influency in vestibular evoked response by rotational stimulus in rotatory chair

• Grant number: 12/19489-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Jeanne da Rosa Oiticica Ramalho
• Grantee: Luiz Felipe Moreira Bittar
• Host Institution: Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is the vestibular reflex most widely used for diagnosis and monitoring diseases that result in body imbalance. One of the most commonly used assessment methods for measuring and monitoring clinical VOR is the pendular stimulus in the computerized rotary chair. The stimulus generated by the chair rotation triggers semicircular canals responses, whose physiological properties follow the model of the pendulum. The cupulo-endolymphatic displacement of the system during the head rotations is proportional to the velocity of the head and not to its acceleration. According to this premise, we can infer that the weight variation (external system to cupulo-endolymphatic complex) does not interfere with the vestibular response at the Sinusoidal Harmonic Test performed on a computerized rotary chair for the same individual - when stimulated by the same frequency and maximum speed of rotation. The aim of this project of scientific initiation is to build a method of evaluation and comparison of vestibular responses evoked by the Sinusoidal Harmonic Test for the same individual, varying their weight. The purpose is to check if the weight difference of the individual induces or not the variation in response at the same frequencies and at the same end rotational speeds.(AU)