Stochastic resonance in the human vestibular system – Noise-induced facilitation of vestibulospinal reflexes

Wuehr, Max; Boerner, Jana; Pradhan, Cauchy; Decker, J.; Jahn, Klaus; Brandt, Thomas; Schniepp, Roman

doi:10.1016/j.brs.2017.10.016

Cited by 69 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Herssens and McCrum, 2019). Moreover, nGVS effectively lowers the vestibular threshold to elicit balance-related reflexes (vestibulospinal reflex) that are required to adequately regulate postural equilibrium (Schniepp et al, 2018;Wuehr et al, 2018). This study suggests that stochastic resonance generated by the noisy current stimulation improves vestibular function and decreases COP sway.…”

Section: Shammentioning

confidence: 76%

Effects of Different Stimulation Conditions on the Stimulation Effect of Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

Inukai

Miyaguchi

Saito

et al. 2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Balance disorders are a risk factor for falls in the elderly population. Balance control involving the complex interaction among nervous, muscular, and sensory systems should be maintained to keep an upright posture and prevent falls. Vestibular sensation is one of the main senses essential for postural control. Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) is a noninvasive stimulation method for vestibular organs. Recently, it has received increasing attention for the treatment of balance disorders. However, the effect of balance disorders on stimulus effect during the implementation of nGVS remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of different floor surface and visual conditions on the stimulus effects of the nGVS intervention. In this study, two experiments were conducted with 24 participants (12 each for Experiments 1 and 2). In Experiment 1, nGVS (0.4 mA; 0.1-640 Hz) was performed in the open-eyes standing position on a solid surface (nGVS condition) and in the closed-eye standing position on a foam rubber (nGVS + foam rubber condition). In Experiment 2, sham stimulation was performed under the same conditions as in Experiment 1, except for nGVS. Center of pressure (COP) sway was measured in all participants with them standing with open eyes at Pre and Post-1 (immediately after the intervention) and Post-2 (10 min after the measurement of post-1). In Experiment 1, under the nGVS condition, COP sway was significantly reduced in Post-1 and Post-2 compared with Pre. However, no significant difference was observed among Pre, Post-1, and Post-2 under the nGVS + foam rubber condition. Furthermore, the intervention effect was significantly greater in the nGVS condition than in the nGVS + foam rubber condition. In contrast, in Experiment 2, the COP sway did not significantly differ among Pre, Post-1, and Post-2 under either condition. Based on the results of this study, nGVS was found to be effective with open-eyes standing on a solid surface.

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Section: Shammentioning

confidence: 76%

Effects of Different Stimulation Conditions on the Stimulation Effect of Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

Inukai

Miyaguchi

Saito

et al. 2020

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…Further increase in noise typically causes the saliency of the signal to decrease. Such a link between SR and state-dependent effects of brain stimulation have been reported experimentally across various modalities ( Schwarzkopf et al, 2011 ; Silvanto and Cattaneo, 2017 ), in which irregular waveforms have further been shown to improve the effect of rhythmic stimuli ( Wuehr et al, 2017 ). However, it remains unclear how the task-related decrease in alpha oscillations is involved in enhancing the susceptibility of cortical neurons to entrainment by exogenous electric fields.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Stochastic resonance mediates the state-dependent effect of periodic stimulation on cortical alpha oscillations

Lefebvre

Hutt

Fröhlich

2017

eLife

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Brain stimulation can be used to engage and modulate rhythmic activity in brain networks. However, the outcomes of brain stimulation are shaped by behavioral states and endogenous fluctuations in brain activity. To better understand how this intrinsic oscillatory activity controls the susceptibility of the brain to stimulation, we analyzed a computational model of the thalamo-cortical system in two distinct states (rest and task-engaged) to identify the mechanisms by which endogenous alpha oscillations (8Hz–12Hz) are modulated by periodic stimulation. Our analysis shows that the different responses to stimulation observed experimentally in these brain states can be explained by a passage through a bifurcation combined with stochastic resonance — a mechanism by which irregular fluctuations amplify the response of a nonlinear system to weak periodic signals. Indeed, our findings suggest that modulation of brain oscillations is best achieved in states of low endogenous rhythmic activity, and that irregular state-dependent fluctuations in thalamic inputs shape the susceptibility of cortical population to periodic stimulation.

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“…Moreover, nGVS improves walking stability in healthy subjects and BV patients ( 15 – 17 ). The proposed explanation behind these effects is considered to be stochastic resonance, in which the existence of an optimal level of noise can enhance information processing in a non-linear system ( 18 , 19 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation Sustainably Improves Posture in Bilateral Vestibulopathy

et al. 2018

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Patients with bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) suffer from persistent postural imbalance, leading to a marked decrease in quality of life and a higher risk of falls. However, so far, the effective treatments for BV are very limited. We examined whether long-term noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) keeps improving body balance after the cessation of the stimulus in BV patients. Thirteen BV patients received nGVS for 30 min with a lower intensity than the intensity at which they feel any cutaneous sensations, and their postural movement was monitored for 6 h after the stimuli. The same session was repeated at 14-day intervals. Stance tasks on two legs were performed with eyes closed. The velocity of the center of pressure (COP) movement, the area enclosed by the COP movement, and the root mean square of the displacement of the COP were measured. The power spectrum of the COP movement was assessed. Subjective improvement of body balance was graded as worsened (−2), slightly worsened (−1), unchanged (0), slightly improved (+1) and improved (+2) in comparison with that without nGVS. In each session, the velocity of the COP movement was significantly improved for 6 h after the stimulus had ceased (P < 0.01). Concomitantly, the mean frequency of the COP power spectrum was significantly reduced in the anterior-posterior axis (P < 0.05). Subjective symptoms of imbalance were improved during the post-stimulation effect (P < 0.05). nGVS leads to an improvement in body balance that lasts for several hours after the end of the stimulus in BV patients with a reduction in the high-frequency components of their postural movement. This trial was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Clinical Trials Registry (UMINCTR: UMIN000028054).

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Stochastic resonance in the human vestibular system – Noise-induced facilitation of vestibulospinal reflexes

Cited by 69 publications

References 8 publications

Effects of Different Stimulation Conditions on the Stimulation Effect of Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

Effects of Different Stimulation Conditions on the Stimulation Effect of Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation

Stochastic resonance mediates the state-dependent effect of periodic stimulation on cortical alpha oscillations

Noisy Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation Sustainably Improves Posture in Bilateral Vestibulopathy

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