Association Between Visuospatial Ability and Vestibular Function in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

Abstract

OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between vestibular loss associated with aging and age-related decline in visuospatial function. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis within a prospective cohort study. SETTING Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). PARTICIPANTS Community-dwelling BLSA participants with a mean age of 72 (range 26–91) (N = 183). MEASUREMENTS Vestibular function was measured using vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. Visuospatial cognitive tests included Card Rotations, Purdue Pegboard, Benton Visual Retention Test, and Trail-Making Test Parts A and B. Tests of executive function, memory, and attention were also considered. RESULTS Participants underwent vestibular and cognitive function testing. In multiple linear regression analyses, poorer vestibular function was associated with poorer performance on Card Rotations (P = .001), Purdue Pegboard (P = .005), Benton Visual Retention Test (P = 0.008), and Trail-Making Test Part B (P = .04). Performance on tests of executive function and verbal memory were not significantly associated with vestibular function. Exploratory factor analyses in a subgroup of participants who underwent all cognitive tests identified three latent cognitive abilities: visuospatial ability, verbal memory, and working memory and attention. Vestibular loss was significantly associated with lower visuospatial and working memory and attention factor scores. CONCLUSION Significant consistent associations between vestibular function and tests of visuospatial ability were observed in a sample of community-dwelling adults. Impairment in visuospatial skills is often one of the first signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Further longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate whether the relationship between vestibular function and visuospatial ability is causal.

Prenatal and postnatal polybrominated diphenyl ether exposure and visual spatial abilities in children

“…However, impairments in visual spatial abilities, measured by other assessment tools, are related to poorer mathematical abilities and achievement, which have been associated with higher risk of unemployment and lower lifetime earnings (Dumontheil and Klingberg, 2012; Li and Geary, 2013; Sella et al, 2016; Slot et al, 2016; Wei et al, 2012). Deficits in visual spatial abilities can also affect quality of life and activities of daily living, including navigational ability, vestibular function, autobiographical memory, and social interactions in terms of recognizing social signals and interpersonal space (Bigelow et al, 2015; Janssen et al, 2015; Rodriguez et al, 2015). However, Penta-BDE congeners BDE-47, −99, and −100 at 5 and 8 years were associated with reduced Virtual Morris Water Maze completion time by 4–5 seconds.…”

Comorbidities confounding the outcomes of surgery for third window syndrome: Outlier analysis

“…2,3 Video recordings of consenting patients before and after intervention help to further document these obvious alterations in ways that complement standardized neuropsychology testing. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Other investigators have also explored the relationship between vestibular dysfunction and cognitive dysfunction; [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] however, Gizzi and coworkers used the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory and reported no causal connection between vestibular disorders and cognitive dysfunction. 28 They studied 200 patients with "dizziness""-half with a history of brain trauma and half without.…”

Reliability and construct validity of a novel motor–cognitive dual‐task test: A Stepping Trail Making Test

“…Thus, those tests are included in the core battery as useful cognitive indicators to assess motor–cognitive interaction . SDST measures several cognitive mechanisms, including visual information processing such as visual attention and visuoperceptual and visuospatial ability . Sánchez‐Cubillo et al .…”

“…1 SDST measures several cognitive mechanisms, including visual information processing such as visual attention and visuoperceptual and visuospatial ability. 26,27 Sánchez-Cubillo et al summarized 24 studies that examined the cognitive processes underlying TMT performance, and identified that visual search, perceptual/motor speed, speed of processing, and working memory were the most frequently cited constructs thought to contribute to TMT performance. 28 Thus, SDST and TMT are characterized as using cognitive domains, including: (i) ability to capture visually the numbers and their places (visuoperceptual ability); (ii) ability to focus on important parts of the information and ignore unnecessary parts (visual attention); (iii) ability to memorize the location of a number seen once (visuospatial memory); and (iv) ability to manage and process that information (execution function).…”