Grant: Operating Grant

The vestibular system functions to detect the motion of the head-in-space. Head velocity is detected by vestibular hair cells that are located within the semicircular canals of the inner ear labyrinth. The vestibular nerve projects from the labyrinth directly to the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. Bilateral loss of labyrinthine functional causes 1) the visual world to move on the retina with head movements, 2) an inability to keep the head/body erect during common activities, and 3) an inability to perform tasks that require spatial orientation such as determining the direction of body motion or navigating through space in the absence of visual cues. My research addresses how the vestibular information is processed by the brain during our normal daily activities. The results of the proposed research will further increase our understanding of how the brain modulates vestibular reflex pathways during common voluntary behaviours. This information, in turn, will lead to a better understanding of disorders that affect patients who suffer from disorientation,vertigo, dizziness, and motion (and space) sickness. Patients with such symptoms are extremely common, however to date the fundamental causes of these disorders are not well understood.