Speaker's abstracts

An overview of vestibular physiology and dysfunction

Vertigo and balance (Part One)

Marsden J, Chair of Rehabilitation, University of Plymouth

Signs of vestibular dysfunction can be seen in up to 75% of people with multiple sclerosis.(1) Vestibular dysfunction can result in symptoms such as vertigo, imbalance and blurred vision. These symptoms can lead to the avoidance of precipitating movements and anxiety that can further impact on a person's participation and wellbeing. This presentation will show how an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the peripheral and central vestibular system can help to explain the symptoms of vestibular dysfunction and guide rehabilitation. Importantly, the treatment approach used in rehabilitation depends on the underlying pathology. Further, an understanding of how people may recover following a vestibular lesion, a process called vestibular compensation, allows us to understand how the site of the lesion and associated pathology to the somatosensory, visual and cerebellar systems may affect the prognosis for treatment.

1. Patko T, Simo M, Aranyi Z. Vestibular click-evoked myogenic potentials: sensitivity and factors determining abnormality in patients with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler 2007;13(2):193-8.