Physiology and Diagnostic Tests of the Vestibular System

Abstract

The vestibular system can be thought of as a system that senses and controls motion. Its functions begin with the detection of head position and motion by the vestibular end-organs. The vestibular hair cells transduce the mechanical stimuli into neural signals and convey them to the brainstem. The brainstem processes the signals and distributes it to other areas of the central nervous system (CNS) to generate vestibular reflexes and sensation. Vestibular reflexes stabilize both our posture and our gait and have significant effects on our tests of vestibular function. In this chapter, we will discuss the physiology of the vestibular system and the different tools used to assess the integrity of the vestibular system.