Vestibular cortex: its locations, functions, and disorders

Abstract

The two major cortical functions of the vestibular system are spatial orientation and self-motion perception. These functions, however, are not exclusively vestibular; they also rely on visual and somatosensory input. All three systems (vestibular, visual and somatosensory) provide us with redundant information about the position and motion of our body relative to the external space. Although the vestibular cortex function is distributed among several multisensory areas in the parietal and temporal cortices, it is also integrated in a larger network for spatial attention and sensorimotor control of eye and body motion in space.