Han Yutong, Bai Yanru, Liu Qiang, Zhao Yuncheng, Chen Taisheng, Wang Wei, Ni Guangjian
Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Neuroengineering, Tianjin, China.
Front Neurol. 2023 Feb 23;14:1126214. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1126214. eCollection 2023.
The vestibular system is responsible for motion perception and balance preservation in the body. The vestibular function examination is useful for determining the cause of associated symptoms, diagnosis, and therapy of the patients. The associated cerebral cortex processes and integrates information and is the ultimate perceptual site for vestibular-related symptoms. In recent clinical examinations, less consideration has been given to the cortex associated with the vestibular system. As a result, it is crucial to increase focus on the expression of the cortical level while evaluating vestibular function. From the viewpoint of neuroelectrophysiology, electroencephalograms (EEG) can enhance the assessments of vestibular function at the cortex level.
This study recorded nystagmus and EEG data throughout the caloric test. Four phases were considered according to the vestibular activation status: before activation, activation, fixation suppression, and recovery. In different phases, the distribution and changes of the relative power of the EEG rhythms (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) were analyzed, and the correlation between EEG characteristics and nystagmus was also investigated.
The results showed that, when the vestibule was activated, the alpha power of the occipital region increased, and the beta power of the central and top regions and the occipital region on the left decreased. The changes in the alpha and beta rhythms significantly correlate with nystagmus values in left warm stimulation.
Our findings offer a fresh perspective on cortical electrophysiology for the assessment of vestibular function by demonstrating that the relative power change in EEG rhythms can be used to assess vestibular function.
前庭系统负责身体的运动感知和平衡维持。前庭功能检查对于确定相关症状的病因、患者的诊断和治疗很有用。相关的大脑皮层处理并整合信息，是前庭相关症状的最终感知部位。在最近的临床检查中，对与前庭系统相关的皮层关注较少。因此，在评估前庭功能时，增加对皮层水平表达的关注至关重要。从神经电生理学的角度来看，脑电图（EEG）可以增强对皮层水平前庭功能的评估。
本研究在整个冷热试验过程中记录了眼球震颤和脑电图数据。根据前庭激活状态分为四个阶段：激活前、激活、注视抑制和恢复。分析了不同阶段脑电图节律（δ、θ、α和β）相对功率的分布和变化，并研究了脑电图特征与眼球震颤之间的相关性。
结果表明，当前庭被激活时，枕区的α功率增加，中央区、顶区以及左侧枕区的β功率降低。α和β节律的变化与左侧温热刺激时的眼球震颤值显著相关。
我们的研究结果通过证明脑电图节律的相对功率变化可用于评估前庭功能，为评估前庭功能的皮层电生理学提供了新的视角。
