Neuro-Otology Editor's Pick 2022

Editors

Impact

Congruency between SVV and oVEMP (upper panel, patients with normal SVV; middle panel, patients with pathologic SVV; lower panel, difference). Groups of patients are age-matched. For each patient, a congruency value for oVEMP was assigned. Congruency value in patients with normal SVV: 0, oVEMP normal; 1, oVEMP tilted to the right; −1, oVEMP tilted to the left. Congruency value in patients with pathologic SVV: 0, oVEMP normal; 1, oVEMP congruent with pathological SVV; −1, oVEMP not congruent with pathological SVV. Frequency distributions of means were obtained by bootstrapping. oVEMP, ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential; SVV, subjective visual vertical.

Original Research

14 April 2021

Independent Measures of Utricular Function: Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials Do Not Correlate With Subjective Visual Vertical or Fundus Photographic Binocular Cyclorotation

Sarah Hösli

and

Dominik Straumann

2,099 views

10 citations

Overview of the impact of acoustic trauma on brain metabolites. (A) The pathway impact of acoustic trauma on metabolites. The y axis shows the p-values and the x axis, the pathway impact values; the node color is based on its p-value and the node size reflects the pathway impact values. (B) The enrichment overview of the pathway-associated metabolite sets perturbed by acoustic trauma. From He et al. (35) with permission.

Methods

03 March 2021

Applications of Multivariate Statistical and Data Mining Analyses to the Search for Biomarkers of Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Tinnitus, and Vestibular Dysfunction

Paul F. Smith

and

Yiwen Zheng

3,962 views

9 citations

Primary rotations of the head. (A) Movement is described in a head-fixed coordinate system. The x-axis is naso-occipital, y-axis is inter-aural, and the z-axis is head-vertical. (B) Roll rotation about the x-axis stimulating the vertical SCCs. (C) Pitch rotation about the y-axis stimulating primarily the vertical SCCs. (D) Yaw rotation about the z-axis stimulating the horizontal SCCs.

Review

19 February 2021

Vestibular Thresholds: A Review of Advances and Challenges in Clinical Applications

Megan J. Kobel

, 2 more and

Jameson K. Mattingly

5,705 views

19 citations

Original Research

21 January 2021

Assessment of Potential Risk Factors for the Development of Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness: A Case-Control Pilot Study

Aaron Trinidade

, 3 more and

Joel A. Goebel

Objectives: (1) To assess whether neuroticism, state anxiety, and body vigilance are higher in patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) compared to a recovered vestibular patient group and a non-dizzy patient group; (2) To gather pilot data on illness perceptions of patients with PPPD.

Materials and Methods: 15 cases with PPPD and two control groups: (1) recovered vestibular patients (n = 12) and (2) non-dizzy patients (no previous vestibular insult, n = 12). Main outcome measures: Scores from the Big Five Inventory (BFI) of personality traits, Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) scale, Body Vigilance Scale (BVS), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), modified Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS) and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ).

Results: Compared to non-dizzy patients, PPPD cases had higher neuroticism (p = 0.02), higher introversion (p = 0.008), lower conscientiousness (p = 0.03) and higher anxiety (p = 0.02). There were no differences between PPPD cases and recovered vestibular patients in BFI and GAD-7. PPPD cases had higher body vigilance to dizziness than both control groups and their illness perceptions indicated higher levels of threat than recovered vestibular patients.

Conclusion: PPPD patients showed statistically significant differences to non-dizzy patients, but not recovered vestibular controls in areas such as neuroticism and anxiety. Body vigilance was increased in PPPD patients when compared with both recovered vestibular and non-dizzy patient groups. PPPD patients also exhibited elements of negative illness perception suggesting that this may be the key element driving the development of PPPD. Large scale studies focusing on this area in the early stages following vestibular insult are needed.

6,398 views

32 citations

Original Research

11 September 2020

From Acute to Chronic Tinnitus: Pilot Data on Predictors and Progression

Veronika Vielsmeier

, 3 more and

Martin Schecklmann

Little is known about the transition from acute tinnitus to chronic tinnitus. By means of this study, we are attempting to close this gap by presenting prospective pilot data of patients with acute tinnitus, followed by tracking their condition's trajectory over a period of 6 months. Forty-nine patients presenting with acute tinnitus (duration < 28 days) were recruited in two clinics. We recorded demographic and clinical tinnitus-related data as well as data on personality, health, treatments, and life-style, during patients' first appearance in the clinic and again three and 6 months thereafter. Standard audiograms were performed at the first and the second visit. Nine (18.4%) patients showed full remission of their tinnitus. These patients differed from patients with a chronic course of tinnitus by shorter tinnitus duration, lower fear-related hyperacusis, higher proportion of female gender, increased ear pressure, and lower levels of alcohol consumption. Among the patients with a chronification of tinnitus, there was no change in tinnitus characteristics. However, their tinnitus distress improved moderately over time. These preliminary data are in line with earlier studies that have shown that only a small proportion of those patients presenting in the clinic with acute tinnitus experience a full remission. The results of this study can be of service in deducing hypotheses for the transition from acute to chronic tinnitus and in developing designs for interventional studies.

11,164 views

28 citations

Original Research

22 October 2020

Positioning Velocity Matters in Central Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: Implication for the Mechanism

Xia Ling

, 4 more and

Ji-Soo Kim

2,549 views

7 citations

Original Research

05 June 2020

Quantitative Evaluation of a New Posturo-Locomotor Phenotype in a Rodent Model of Acute Unilateral Vestibulopathy

Guillaume Rastoldo

, 7 more and

Brahim Tighilet

Vestibular pathologies are difficult to diagnose. Existing devices make it possible to quantify and follow the evolution of posturo-locomotor symptoms following vestibular loss in static conditions. However, today, there are no diagnostic tools allowing the quantitative and spontaneous analysis of these symptoms in dynamic situations. With this in mind, we used an open-field video tracking test aiming at identifying specific posturo-locomotor markers in a rodent model of vestibular pathology. Using Ethovision XT 14 software (Noldus), we identified and quantified several behavioral parameters typical of unilateral vestibular lesions in a rat model of vestibular pathology. The unilateral vestibular neurectomy (UVN) rat model reproduces the symptoms of acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy in humans. Our data show deficits in locomotion velocity, distance traveled and animal mobility in the first day after the injury. We also highlighted alterations in several parameters, such as head and body acceleration, locomotor pattern, and position of the body, as well as “circling” behavior after vestibular loss. Here, we provide an enriched posturo-locomotor phenotype specific to full and irreversible unilateral vestibular loss. This test helps to strengthen the quantitative evaluation of vestibular disorders in unilateral vestibular lesion rat model. It may also be useful for testing pharmacological compounds promoting the restoration of balance. Transfer of these novel evaluation parameters to human pathology may improve the diagnosis of acute unilateral vestibulopathies and could better follow the evolution of the symptoms upon pharmacological and physical rehabilitation.

3,713 views

35 citations