Smith Paul F, Brandt Thomas, Strupp Michael, Darlington Cynthia L, Zheng Yiwen
Department Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009 May;1164:127-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03726.x.
Considerable clinical and experimental evidence indicates that loss of vestibular function results in cognitive deficits, especially deficits in spatial memory. These studies demonstrate the importance of balance for the most fundamental of cognitive processes and suggest that information about head acceleration and orientation must have been critical to the evolution of brain structures such as the hippocampus. Studies of animals with bilateral vestibular lesions have shown that theta rhythm and the activity of hippocampal place cells are severely disrupted; recent human studies show that bilateral vestibular loss is even associated with hippocampal atrophy. While it is conceivable that the effects of vestibular lesions on the hippocampus are due to chronic stress and increased glucocorticoid levels, at present there is little evidence to support this hypothesis. It is also possible that the hippocampal changes are due to a reduction in exploration and active behavior; however, in rats, at least, bilateral vestibular lesions cause hyperactivity rather than hypoactivity. Alternatively, the hippocampus may have developed a special dependence upon the vestibular system during evolution, since it was the first sensory system to reliably indicate gravitational vertical.
大量临床和实验证据表明，前庭功能丧失会导致认知缺陷，尤其是空间记忆缺陷。这些研究证明了平衡对于最基本认知过程的重要性，并表明有关头部加速度和方向的信息对于海马体等脑结构的进化一定至关重要。对双侧前庭损伤动物的研究表明，θ节律和海马体位置细胞的活动会受到严重干扰；最近的人体研究表明，双侧前庭丧失甚至与海马体萎缩有关。虽然可以想象前庭损伤对海马体的影响是由于慢性应激和糖皮质激素水平升高，但目前几乎没有证据支持这一假设。海马体变化也可能是由于探索和主动行为减少所致；然而，至少在大鼠中，双侧前庭损伤会导致多动而非活动不足。或者，在进化过程中，海马体可能对前庭系统产生了特殊的依赖，因为它是第一个可靠地指示重力垂直方向的感觉系统。
