Movement, Cerebellar, and Vestibular Disorders

These flashcards cover key concepts related to movement, cerebellar, and vestibular disorders to aid in exam preparation.

Peripheral Vestibular System

Structure that lies within the petrous portion of each temporal bone containing the semicircular canals and otolith organs.

Semicircular Canals

Three canals (Horizontal, Posterior, Superior) filled with endolymph that detect angular rotation.

Cupula

Gelatinous barrier containing sensory hair cells that reacts to head movement.

Otolith Organs

Structures that respond to linear acceleration and static head tilt, containing otoconia.

Vestibular-Ocular Reflex (VOR)

Reflex that stabilizes an image on the retina during head movements.

Tonic Firing Rate

The resting firing rate of vestibular neurons, which is crucial for detecting head motion.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

Most common cause of vertigo caused by dislodged otoconia affecting the semicircular canals.

Dizziness

A vague sensation often categorized into vertigo, light-headedness, dysequilibrium, or oscillopsia.

Ocular VEMP

Test that assesses utricular function and involuntary eye muscle responses to loud sounds.

Ménière’s Disease

Inner ear disorder characterized by low-frequency hearing loss, tinnitus, and episodic vertigo due to excess endolymph.

Isometric Contraction

Muscle contraction where the muscle exerts force without changing length; important for testing in vestibular assessment.

Caloric Test

A stimulation test that assesses the horizontal semicircular canals by introducing temperature changes to the auditory canal.

Cervical VEMP

Test that evaluates responses from the saccule via muscle contractions in response to auditory stimuli.

Inhibitory Cutoff

A situation in the vestibular system where signals indicating inhibition cease altogether, affecting perception.

Rotational Chair Test

Test that evaluates the function of horizontal SCCs by rotating the subject to observe nystagmus.

Motion Sensitivity Quotient

A metric used to assess sensitivity to motion in vestibular dysfunction examinations.

Cervicogenic Dizziness

Imbalance symptoms caused by pathology in the cervical spine.

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Therapeutic exercises designed to alleviate dizziness and improve balance and stability in vestibular disorders.