Association between vestibular function and rotational spatial orientation perception in older adults

BACKGROUND: Spatial orientation is a complex process involving vestibular sensory input and possibly cognitive ability. Previous research demonstrated that rotational spatial orientation was worse for individuals with profound bilateral vestibular dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: Determine whether rotational and linear vestibular function were independently associated with large amplitude rotational spatial orientation perception in healthy aging. METHODS: Tests of rotational spatial orientation accuracy and vestibular function [vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP)] were administered to 272 healthy community-dwelling adults participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Using a mixed model multiple linear regression we regressed spatial orientation errors on lateral semicircular canal function, utricular function (ocular VEMP), and saccular function (cervical VEMP) in a single model controlling for rotation size, age, and sex. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, and sex, individuals with bilaterally low VOR gain (beta = 20.9, p =0 .014) and those with bilaterally absent utricular function (beta = 9.32, p = 0.017) made significantly larger spatial orientation errors relative to individuals with normal vestibular function. CONCLUSIONS: The current results demonstrate for the first time that either bilateral lateral semicircular canal dysfunction or bilateral utricular dysfunction are associated with worse rotational spatial orientation. We also demonstrated in a healthy aging cohort that increased age also contributes to spatial orientation ability.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of rotational and linear vestibular function on large amplitude rotational spatial orientation perception in healthy aging individuals. The results showed that individuals with bilaterally low VOR gain and those with bilaterally absent utricular function made significantly larger spatial orientation errors, indicating a clear association between vestibular dysfunction and worse rotational spatial orientation. Additionally, the study also demonstrated the influence of age on spatial orientation ability in a healthy aging cohort.