Abstract

Introduction: The study of motor responses induced by electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) may help clarify the role of the vestibular system in postural control. Although back muscles have an important role in postural control, their EVS-induced motor responses were rarely studied. Moreover, the effects of EVS parameters, head position, and vision on EVS-induced back muscles responses remain little explored.Objectives: To explore the effects of EVS parameters, head position, and vision on lumbar erector spinae muscles EVS-induced responses.Design: Exploratory, cross-sectional study.Materials and Methods: Ten healthy participants were recruited. Three head positions (right, left and no head rotation), 4 intensities (2, 3, 4, 5 mA), and 4 EVS durations (5, 20, 100, 200 ms) were tested in sitting position with eyes open or closed. EVS usually induced a body sway toward the anode (placed on the right mastoid). EMG activity of the right lumbar erector spinae was recorded. Variables of interest were amplitude, occurrence, and latency of the EVS-induced modulation of the EMG activity.Results: The short-latency response was inhibitory and the medium-latency response was excitatory. Increased EVS current intensity augmented the occurrence and the amplitude of the short- and medium-latency responses (more inhibition and more excitation, respectively). EVS duration influenced the medium-latency response differently depending on the position of the head. Right head rotation produced larger responses amplitude and occurrence than left head rotation. Opposite head rotation (left vs. right) did not induce a reversal of the short- and medium-latency responses (i.e., the inhibition did not become an excitation), as typically reported in lower legs muscles. The eyes open condition did not modulate muscle responses.Conclusion: Modulation of EVS parameters (current intensity and duration of EVS) affects the amplitude and occurrence of the lumbar erector spinae responses. In contrast, vision did not influence the responses, suggesting its minimal contribution to vestibulomotor control in sitting. The lack of response reversal in sagittal plane may reflect the biomechanical role of lumbar erector spinae to fine-tune the lumbar lordosis during the induced body sway. This hypothesis remains to be further tested.

Highlights

  • The study of motor responses induced by electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) may help clarify the role of the vestibular system in postural control

  • Exclusion criteria were: (i) pathology of the vestibular system (e.g., Menière’s disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), (ii) pregnancy, (iii) allergy to tetracaine, (iv) back pain, (v) idiopathic scoliosis, and (vi) any major pathologies interfering with the task tested in this study

  • lumbar erector spinae (LES) motor responses in one representative participant are presented in Figure 2 according to current intensity, and in Figure 3 according to EVS duration

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Summary

Introduction

The study of motor responses induced by electrical vestibular stimulation (EVS) may help clarify the role of the vestibular system in postural control. EVS induces motor responses when muscles are engaged in balance control (e.g., the soleus in standing) (Britton et al, 1993; Ali et al, 2003; Dakin et al, 2016). EVS applied while standing with the head rotated to the right and the anode positioned on the right mastoid process produces a backward body sway. In both soleus muscles, the resulting response corresponds to a short-latency inhibition followed by a medium-latency excitation in EMG activity (Britton et al, 1993). Rotating the head to the left while keeping the anode on the right mastoid process produces a forward body sway and reverses the direction of the responses

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