Amplitude Histograms Research Articles

Noradrenaline Triggers Multivesicular Release at Glutamatergic Synapses in the Hypothalamus

The origin of large-amplitude miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs) at central synapses remains to be firmly established. Here, we show that at excitatory synapses onto magnocellular neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus, noradrenaline induces a rapid and robust increase in mEPSC amplitude that requires alpha1-adrenoceptor activation but is impervious to postsynaptic manipulations that block the putative insertion of AMPA receptors. In response to noradrenaline, mEPSCs exhibit a putative multimodal amplitude histogram distribution that is not attributable to random temporal summation, the unveiling of a quiescent synapse, or the release of large vesicles. Large-amplitude mEPSCs are sensitive to a high dose of ryanodine and are associated with an enhanced glutamate cleft concentration. Together, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that large-amplitude mEPSCs result from the synchronous release of multiple vesicles via rapid presynaptic calcium expulsion from intracellular stores.

Gap-Junctional Coupling and Absolute Sensitivity of Photoreceptors in Macaque Retina

We investigated gap-junctional coupling of rods and cones in macaque retina. Cone voltage responses evoked by light absorption in neighboring rods were briefer and smaller than responses recorded in the rods themselves. Rod detection thresholds, calculated from noise and response amplitude histograms, closely matched the threshold for an ideal detector limited by quantal fluctuations in the stimulus. Surprisingly, cone thresholds were only approximately two times higher. Amplitude fluctuations in cones could be explained by a Poisson distribution of photoisomerizations within a pool of seven or more coupled rods. Neurobiotin coupling between rods and cones was consistent with our electrical recordings, with approximately six rods labeled per injected cone. The spatial distribution of tracer-coupled rods matched the light-evoked cone receptive field. The gap junction inhibitor carbenoxolone abolished both electrical and tracer coupling. Amplitude fluctuations in most rods were accounted for by the expected rate of light absorption in their outer segments. The fluctuations in some rods, however, were consistent with a summation pool of up to six rods. When single rods were injected with Neurobiotin, up to 10 rods were labeled. Rod-rod and rod-cone electrical coupling is expected to extend the range of scotopic vision by circumventing saturation at the rod to rod-bipolar cell synapse; however, because coupling also renders the rod synapse less effective at separating out photon signals from dark noise, coupling is expected to elevate the absolute threshold of dark-adapted observers.

The Rician inverse Gaussian distribution: a new model for non-Rayleigh signal amplitude statistics

In this paper, we introduce a new statistical distribution for modeling non-Rayleigh amplitude statistics, which we have called the Rician inverse Gaussian (RiIG) distribution. It is a mixture of the Rice distribution and the inverse Gaussian distribution. The probability density function (pdf) is given in closed form as a function of three parameters. This makes the pdf very flexible in the sense that it may be fitted to a variety of shapes, ranging from the Rayleigh-shaped pdf to a noncentral chi2-shaped pdf. The theoretical basis of the new model is quite thoroughly discussed, and we also give two iterative algorithms for estimating its parameters from data. Finally, we include some modeling examples, where we have tested the ability of the distribution to represent locale amplitude histograms of linear medical ultrasound data and single-look synthetic aperture radar data. We compare the goodness of fit of the RiIG model with that of the K model, and, in most cases, the new model turns out as a better statistical model for the data. We also include a series of log-likelihood tests to evaluate the predictive performance of the proposed model.

Using Potassium Currents to Solve Signal-to-Noise Problems in Inhibitory Feedforward Networks of the Striatum

Fast-spiking (FS) interneurons provide the main route of feedforward inhibition from cortex to spiny projection neurons in the striatum. A steep current-firing frequency curve and a dense local axonal arbor suggest that even small excitatory inputs could translate into powerful feedforward inhibition, although such an arrangement is also sensitive to amplification of spurious synaptic inputs. We show that a transient potassium (KA) current allows the FS interneuron to strike a balance between sensitivity to correlated input and robustness to noise, thereby increasing its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). First, a compartmental FS neuron model was created to match experimental data from striatal FS interneurons in cortex-striatum-substantia nigra organotypic cultures. Densities of sodium, delayed rectifier, and KA channels were optimized to replicate responses to somatic current injection. Spontaneous alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) synaptic currents were adjusted to the experimentally measured amplitude, rise time, and interevent interval histograms. Second, two additional adjustments were required to emulate the remaining experimental observations. GABA channels were localized closer to the soma than AMPA channels to match the synaptic population reversal potential. Correlation among inputs was required to produce the observed firing rate during up-states. In this final model, KA channels were essential for suppressing down-state spikes while allowing reliable spike generation during up-states. This mechanism was particularly important under conditions of high dopamine. Our results suggest that KA channels allow FS interneurons to operate without a decrease in SNR during conditions of increased dopamine, as occurs in response to reward or anticipated reward.

In-service signal quality monitoring and multi-impairment discrimination based on asynchronous amplitude histogram evaluation for NRZ-DPSK systems

A novel in-service signal quality monitoring technique for nonreturn-to-zero differential phase-shift keying signals using asynchronous amplitude histogram evaluation has been demonstrated. As a result of phase-to-amplitude modulation, there are three Gaussian distributions in the amplitude histogram. The widths of the Gaussian distributions are related to the amount of amplified spontaneous emission, while the separations between the Gaussian distributions increase monotonically with fiber dispersion. The amount of dispersion and optical signal-to-noise ratio can, thus, be directly extracted and discriminated from the amplitude histogram.

Detection of 75+ pulsation frequencies in theδScuti star FG Virginis

Extensive photometric multisite campaigns of the 6 Scuti variable FG Vir are presented. For the years 2003 and 2004, 926 h of photometry at the millimag precision level were obtained. The combinations with earlier campaigns lead to excellent frequency resolution and high signal/noise. A multifrequency analysis yields 79 frequencies. This represents a new record for this type of star. The modes discovered earlier were confirmed. quencies. This represents a new Pulsation occurs over a wide frequency band from 5.7 to 44.3 c/d with amplitudes of 0.2 mmag or larger Within this wide band the frequencies are not distributed at random, but tend to cluster in groups. A similar feature is seen in the power spectrum of the residuals after 79 frequencies are prewhitened. This indicates that many additional modes are excited. The interpretation is supported by a histogram of the photometric amplitudes, which shows an increase of modes with small amplitudes. The old question of the missing modes may be answered now: the large number of detected frequencies as well as the large number of additional frequencies suggested by the power spectrum of the residuals confirms the theoretical prediction of a large number of excited modes. FG Vir shows a number of frequency combinations of the dominant mode at 12.7162 c/d (m = 0) with other modes of relatively high photometric amplitude. The amplitudes of the frequency sums are higher than those of the difference;. A second mode (20.2878 c/d) also shows combinations. This mode of azimuthal order m = -1 is coupled with two other modes of m = + 1.

Single-channel properties of N- and L-subtypes of acetylcholine receptor in Ascaris suum

We are interested in the properties of the target site of cholinergic anti-nematodal drugs for therapeutic reasons. The target receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that have different subtypes, and each subtype may have a different pharmacology. In a contraction assay using the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum, our laboratory has identified several subtypes, including an N-subtype, preferentially activated by nicotine, and an L-subtype, preferentially activated by levamisole. Here we use patch-clamp recordings to test the hypothesis that the single-channel selectivities of nicotine and levamisole are different. Unitary currents evoked by nicotine in this preparation were characterised for the first time. In some patches, both nicotine and levamisole activated small- and large-conductance channels. In other patches, the agonists activated just one channel amplitude. Discriminant analysis allowed classification of the one-conductance patch channels into the small or large categories, based on sets defined by the two-conductance patch data. The small channels had a conductance of 26.1±1.5 pS, n=18 (mean±SEM); the large conductance channels had a conductance of 38.8±1.2 pS, n=23 (mean±SEM). Analysis of amplitude histograms of the two-conductance patches showed that nicotine preferentially activated the small-conductance channels and levamisole preferentially activated the large-conductance channels. Our observations suggest that the N-subtype receptor channel has a conductance of 26 pS channel and the L-subtype receptor channel has a conductance of 39 pS.

Time‐matched pre‐ and postsynaptic changes of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the developing mouse superior colliculus

Developmental changes in the kinetics of GABAergic postsynaptic currents have been reported for various brain structures. However, it has remained unclear whether these modifications are matched by presynaptic changes. We addressed this question by analysing evoked IPSCs (eIPSCs) in mouse superior colliculus slices between postnatal day (P) 1 and 22. eIPSCs were elicited by electrical stimulation and measured in the whole-cell patch-clamp configuration. IPSCs were analysed using the binomial model of synaptic transmission. The readily releasable pool (RRP, N) was estimated from the cumulative eIPSC amplitude histograms during 50-Hz stimulation. Median delayed IPSC (dIPSC) amplitude was used as a quantal amplitude (q) estimate. The mean release probability (p) was determined as the mean eIPSC amplitude divided by the product of RRP and q. The experiments revealed that GABAergic synapses pass through two distinct periods of functional adjustment: (i) P1-3 (coincidental with the onset of glutamatergic spontaneous activity and a switch from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing GABA action) displayed a significant decrease of p, associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio (eIPSC(2)/eIPSC(1)); and (ii) P6-15 (the period before and shortly after eye opening) is characterized by a drastic reduction of IPSC duration. On the presynaptic side, it was accompanied by a down-regulation of asynchronous release in favour of stimulus-locked synchronous release. We conclude that postsynaptic modifications of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the superior colliculus (SC) are indeed accompanied by presynaptic changes, and this may guarantee the necessary efficacy of inhibition during the developmental reconstruction of the synaptic network in the SC.

Mutations in the Pore Region Modify Epithelial Sodium Channel Gating by Shear Stress

Previous studies have shown that epithelial Na+ channels (ENaCs) are activated by laminar shear stress (LSS). ENaCs with a high intrinsic open probability because of a mutation (betaS518K) or covalent modification of an introduced Cys residue (alphaS580C) in the pre-second transmembrane domain (pre-M2) were not activated by LSS, suggesting that the pre-M2 region participates in conformational rearrangements during channel activation. We examined the role of the pore region of the alpha-subunit in channel gating by studying the kinetics of activation by LSS of wild-type ENaC and channels with Cys mutations in the tract Ser576-Ser592. Whole cell Na+ currents were monitored in oocytes expressing wild-type or mutant ENaCs prior to and following application of LSS. Following a 2.2-s delay, a monoexponential increase in Na+ currents was observed with a time constant (tau) of 8.1 s in oocytes expressing wild-type ENaC. Cys substitutions within the alpha-subunit in the tract Ser580-Ser589 resulted in: (i) a reduction (Ser580-Trp585, Gly587) or increase (Ser589) in delay times preceding channel activation by LSS, (ii) an increase (Gln581, Leu584, Trp585, Phe586, Ser588) or decrease (Ser589) in the rate of channel activation, or (iii) a decrease in the magnitude of the response (Ser583, Gly587, Leu584). Cys substitutions at a putative amiloride-binding site (alphaSer583 or betaGly525) or within the selectivity filter (alphaGly587) resulted in a reduction in the LSS response, and exhibited a multiexponential time course of activation. The corresponding gamma-subunit mutant (alphabetagammaG542C) had a minimal response to LSS and exhibited a high intrinsic open probability. These data suggest that residues in the pore region participate in the sensing and/or transduction of the mechanical stimulus that results in channel activation and are consistent with the hypothesis that the ENaC pore region has a key role in modulating channel gating.

A Subsequent Fit of Time Series and Amplitude Histogram of Patch-Clamp Records Reveals Rate Constants up to 1 per Microsecond

Fast gating in time series of patch-clamp current demands powerful tools to reveal the rate constants of the adequate Hidden Markov model. Here, two approaches are presented to improve the temporal resolution of the direct fit of the time series. First, the prediction algorithm is extended to include intermediate currents between the nominal levels as caused by the anti-aliasing filter. This approach can reveal rate constants that are about 4 times higher than the corner frequency of the anti-aliasing filter. However, this approach is restricted to time series with very low noise. Second, the direct fit of the time series is combined with a beta fit, i.e., a fit of the deviations of the amplitude histogram from the Gaussian distribution. Since the "theoretical" amplitude histograms for higher-order Bessel filters cannot be calculated by analytical tools, they are generated from simulated time series. In a first approach, a simultaneous fit of the time series and of the Beta fit is tested. This simultaneous fit, however, inherits the drawbacks of both approaches, not the benefits. More successful is a subsequent fit: The fit of the time series yields a set of rate constants. The subsequent Beta fit uses the slow rate constants of the fit of the time series as fixed parameters and the optimization algorithm is restricted to the fast ones. The efficiency of this approach is illustrated by means of time series obtained from simulation and from the dominant K+ channel in Chara. This shows that temporal resolution can reach the microsecond range.

Are shielding properties of the cavity readable in histograms of electric field amplitudes: to scale or not to scale histograms?

Electric field amplitude histograms are generated in solving Maxwell's equations inside a rectangular enclosure. The histograms are formed from numerical solutions but they are found to be uncorrelated with attenuation properties i.e. the shielding effectiveness of the enclosure. Modifications to the histograms are introduced and whether the modified histograms are more usable to observe important quantities related to shielding properties than original histograms is explored. A simple rectangular enclosure comprising one aperture is studied as an example. The resonant frequencies are calculated and the shielding effectiveness determined. An input of 290 frequencies is selected and corresponding histograms are obtained, ordered according to square-sum differences between selected reference histogram and histograms under considerations. The reference histograms are aimed to correspond to good shielding such that the ordering would be comparable with shielding properties. Modified histograms are found to correspond better with shielding properties than unmodified histograms.

Angiogenic response of locally advanced breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy evaluated with parametric histogram from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

The aim of this study was to evaluate angiogenic compositions and tumour response in the course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. Thirteen patients with LABC underwent serial DCE MRI during the course of chemotherapy. DCE MRI was quantified using a two-compartment model on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Analysis of parametric histograms of amplitude, exchange rate kout and peak enhancement over the whole tumour was performed. The distribution patterns of histograms were correlated with the tumour response. Initial kurtosis and standard deviation of amplitude before chemotherapy correlated with tumour response, r = 0.63 and r = 0.61, respectively. Comparing the initial values with the values after the first course of chemotherapy, tumour response was associated with a decrease in standard deviation of amplitude (r = 0.79), and an increase in kurtosis and a decrease in standard deviation of kout (r = 0.57 and 0.57, respectively). Comparing the initial values with the values after completing the chemotherapy, tumours with better response were associated with an increase in kurtosis (r = 0.62), a decrease in mean (r = 0.84) and standard deviation (r = 0.77) of amplitude, and a decrease in mean of peak enhancement (r = 0.71). Our results suggested that tumours with better response tended to alter their internal compositions from heterogeneous to homogeneous distributions and a decrease in peak enhancement after chemotherapy. Serial analyses of parametric histograms of DCE MRI-derived angiogenic parameters are potentially useful to monitor the response of angiogenic compositions of a tumour throughout the course of chemotherapy, and might predict tumour response early in the course.

Transparent Monitoring of Rise Time Using Asynchronous Amplitude Histograms in Optical Transmission Systems

This paper describes the analysis, simulations, and proof-of-principle experiment on transparent monitoring of relative rise time using asynchronously sampled amplitude histograms in optical transmission systems. The method described is based on the count in a selected amplitude window between the mark and space levels. The method is evaluated under various amplitude windows and Q-factor values and is compared with synchronously sampled eye-diagram-based measurements. The results demonstrate that the 40-60% amplitude window is generally suitable for system rise-time monitoring purposes without clock information.

Clinical application of a new method that segments the region of interest into multiple layers for RF amplitude histogram analysis in the cirrhotic liver.

We used texture analysis in conjunction with an alternative method of analyzing the amplitude histogram using a radiofrequency (RF) signal to differentiate ultrasonograms of normal and cirrhotic livers. This method segments the region of interest (ROI) into multiple layers (sub-ROIs). In each sub-ROI of a homogeneous medium, the histogram of enveloped-amplitude of RF backscattered echoes resembles a Rayleigh distribution. Theoretically, the values of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), skewness, and kurtosis for Rayleigh statistics are constant and independent of the mean scattering intensity, which is contributed by such undesirable effects as tissue attenuation, beam diffraction, and incident waveforms. These values, which averaged overall sub-ROI, should provide an unbiased estimator. We studied 36 normal livers and 28 cirrhotic livers, all confirmed by clinical findings including laboratory and pathology data; the SNR, skewness, and kurtosis values of the disease groups were compared. At the same time, these values were estimated using the conventional method, which did not segment the ROI into multiple sub-ROIs. The unpaired t-test was used to determine statistical significance. With the new method, all values obtained from cirrhotic livers differed significantly from those obtained from normal livers, and the standard deviation of these values was smaller than those obtained using the conventional method. These results suggest that the new method can be used to diagnose the cirrhotic liver objectively.

Quantal Characteristics of Synaptic GABA Release under Conditions of Stimulation of Single Synaptic Terminals of Cultured Cortical Cells of the Rat

We studied evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (eIPSC) using local electrical stimulation of single presynaptic terminals of cultured rat neocortical neurons. According to pharmacological and kinetic properties, these currents were qualified as GABAA-activated. Using autocorrelation analysis of distributions of the eIPSC amplitudes, which were in all cases polymodal, we examined quantal characteristics of the above eIPSC. These results were compared with the values of quantal parameters (N, p, Q, and m) of the current families obtained using approximation by binomial distribution. Amplitude histograms of spontaneous miniature IPSC recorded under conditions of the minimum quantal release of the neurotransmitter were normal (close to Gaussian) with the mode within a 10 pA range, which is very close to analogous parameters calculated using autocorrelation and binomial techniques.

Properties of quantal transmission at CA1 synapses.

We have used Monte Carlo simulations to understand the generation of quantal responses at the single active zones of CA1 synapses. We constructed a model of AMPA channel activation that accounts for the responses to controlled glutamate application and a model of glutamate diffusion in the synaptic cleft. With no further adjustments to these models, we simulated the response to the release of glutamate from a single vesicle. The predicted response closely matches the rise time of observed responses, which recent measurements show is much faster (<100 micros) than previously thought. The simulations show that initial channel opening is driven by a brief (<100 micros) glutamate spike near the site of vesicle fusion, producing a hotspot of channel activation (diameter: approximately 250 nm) smaller than many synapses. Quantal size therefore depends more strongly on the density of channels than their number, a finding that has important implications for measuring synaptic strength. Recent measurements allow estimation of AMPA receptor density at CA1 synapses. Using this value, our simulations correctly predicts a quantal amplitude of approximately 10 pA. We have also analyzed the properties of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) generated by the multivesicular release that can occur during evoked responses. We find that summation is nearly linear and that the existence of multiple narrow peaks in amplitude histograms can be accounted for. It has been unclear how to reconcile the existence of these narrow peaks, which indicate that the variation of quantal amplitude is small (CV < 0.2) with the highly variable amplitude of miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs; CV approximately 0.6). According to one theory, mEPSC variability arises from variation in vesicle glutamate content. However, both our modeling results and recent experimental results indicate that this view cannot account for the observed rise time/amplitude correlation of mEPSCs. In contrast, this correlation and the high mEPSC variability can be accounted for if some mEPSCs are generated by two or more vesicles released with small temporal jitter. We conclude that a broad range of results can be accounted for by simple principles: quantal amplitude (approximately 10 pA) is stereotyped, some mEPSCs are multivesicular at moderate and large synapses, and evoked responses are generated by quasi-linear summation of multiple quanta.

Effect of 4-aminopyridine on synaptic transmission in rat hippocampal slices

Extracellular field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices in vitro. The responses evoked by spontaneously released glutamate and GABA were recorded from area CA1 pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampal slices in whole-cell mode. The glutamate and GABA receptor-associated ligand-gated currents were obtained from dissociated single hippocampal pyramidal cells. The results showed that 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) had obvious effects on both presynaptic and postsynaptic events. Applications of 4-AP in micromolar concentration resulted in persistent enhancement of the initial slope of fEPSPs with the half-maximal enhancement concentration (EC 50) of 46.7±2.68 μM. At the concentration of 200 μM, 4-AP increased the initial slopes of the total fEPSPs, NMDA- and AMPA-mediated fEPSPs components to 225.6±23.8%, 177.4±20.1% and 142.3±18.9%, respectively, but had no effect on the fiber volley. The half-maximal stimulus intensity to induce responses was reduced from 5.14±0.27 to 3.58±0.23 V. The frequencies of mEPSCs and mIPSCs were increased to 324.2±25.4% and 287.3±36.3% by 200 μM 4-AP. The amplitude histograms of mEPSCs and mIPSCs were fitted with Gaussian distributions. After 200 μM 4-AP application, the first and second peaks in Gaussian distributions of mEPSCs were shifted from 8.73±0.94 and 17.78±2.13pA to 10.48±0.82 and 21.14±2.45 pA, while those of mIPSCs were shifted from 13.65±0.96 and 25.51±2.95 pA to 11.21±1.04 and 23.08±2.37 pA. At 200 μM, 4-AP reduced paired-pulse facilitation and accelerated synaptic fatigue induced by stimulation at 10 Hz (for 1 s) and the ratio of fEPSPs 10/fEPSPs 1 was decreased from 1.62±0.16 to 0.61±0.15. At 200 μM, 4-AP inhibited postsynaptic GABA currents induced by 5 μM GABA to 68.2±15.5%: by countering the effect of enhanced release of GABA from presynaptic terminals, this could depress the inhibitory pathway. Also at 200 μM, 4-AP increased NMDA currents to 155.3±17.8%, but had no significant effect on AMPA currents (94.2±15.6%). Our experimental results thus show that 4-AP-induced changes of synaptic transmission in area CA1 of rat hippocampus may be attributed to 4-AP's effects on both presynaptic terminals and postsynaptic receptors.

Texture analysis with a new method in which the region of interest is segmented into multiple layers for radiofrequency amplitude histogram analysis of fibrous rat livers.

The aim of this study was to estimate the severity of fibrosis without a biopsy. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), skewness, and kurtosis were measured using a 10-MHz transducer with the texture analysis in conjunction with an alternative method for evaluating fibrous rat livers. This method segments the region of interest (ROI) into multiple layers (sub-ROIs). In each sub-ROI of a homogeneous medium, the histogram of enveloped amplitude of radiofrequency (RF) backscattered echoes resembles a Rayleigh distribution. In theory, SNR, skewness, and kurtosis for Rayleigh statistics are constant and independent of the mean scattering intensity, which is enhanced by such undesirable effects as tissue attenuation, beam diffraction, and incident waveforms. Thus, these values, which are averages of the corresponding sub-ROI values, constitute an unbiased estimator. All fibrous liver specimens were induced using the dimethylnitrosamine method. Fiber content was estimated quantitatively as the fibrosis index by computer processing of pathological images obtained by light microscopy. The SNR, skewness and kurtosis, expressed as averages of corresponding values from each sub-ROI, correlated closely with the fibrosis index. These results make it possible to predict the severity of liver fibrosis from data obtained without resorting to biopsy. The data, obtained from our earlier study on rats, may be used to evaluate human hepatitis quantitatively by measuring these three values. The method may make it possible to estimate the degree of severity of chronic liver disease noninvasively.

Gaussian deconvolution method for identification of impairments in optical signal transmission

Feature Issue on Optical Performance Monitoring (OPM). Amplitude histograms that have simultaneously deterministic perturbations and Gaussian noise are analyzed by a Gaussian deconvolution method that allows us to identify the deterministic perturbations that are usually hidden by the noise. In addition, the strength of the Gaussian noise and the parameters of the deterministic perturbations can be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Numerical examples for the evaluation of histograms with intersymbol interference and with deterministic jitter show the validity of the method.

めまい症における重心動揺検査で得られる各パラメータの検討

There is no report to our knowledge describing stabilographic investigation of idiopathic vertigo. We investigated each parameter of stabilography in 112 patients with idiopathic vertigo.Stabilography was performed with eyes open and closed while standing with both feet together for 60 seconds using a stabilometer. The enveloped area, length/time, length/area, displacements in X- and Y- axes, Romberg ratio, power spectrum, velocity vectors, and standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness of amplitude histogram were measured. The velocity vectors, ranging 360 degrees, were divided into eight directions. Each was designated A-H from the anterior direction clockwise. We used age and gender matched data from 112 healthy subjects as a control group. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and p<0.01 was considered significant.The positivity rate in the patients was significantly higher than that in the controls for length/time (p=0.0062), velocity vectors A (p<0.0001), B (p=0.0005), E (p<0.0001), and F (p=0.0067).We found that the stabilogram in idiopathic vertigo patients tended to show anterior-posterior sway in good order. Our findings suggested that idiopathic vertigo is in part a functional and sensory abnormality without organic disease and has the potential to proceed to peripheral or central disease.