The neural basis of vestibular compensation

前庭代偿的神经基础

• 批准号: nhmrc : 401249
• 负责人: Prof Alan Brichta
• 金额: $ 21.15万
• 依托单位: The University of Newcastle
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: NHMRC Project Grants
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://researchdata.edu.au/neural-basis-vestibular-compensation/96890
• 关键词: neural; basis; vestibular; compensation

Dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance affect nearly half the population by the age of 60 and balance-related falls, especially in the elderly, are a serious health concern. Surveys of primary care doctors have shown that dizziness and vertigo are as prevalent as hypertension and angina, and approximately 40% of the population experience dizziness severe enough to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, most symptoms are not relieved by currently available medical treatment. There is, however, a remarkable hidden reserve of 'self-repair' in the balance system that can be triggered under certain conditions. We call this process 'vestibular compensation' and if we can understand those conditions and discover the means by which this reserve affects the nervous system, we may be able harness its power to alleviate the all distressing symptoms of imbalance. Perhaps we may even be able to apply these principles to other critical systems that may need repair. We propose to look at a key region in the central nervous system that is responsible for processing balance signals and may be very important in 'vestibular compensation'. We will try to activate this recovery process under controlled conditions so that we can understand the changes that occur. Specifically we will examine the role of vestibular (balance) neurons in the central nervous system that appear to be modified following trauma of the inner ear balance organs. We will use our new recording techniques to examine these vestibular neurons to see how their intrinsic properties may change and what external or internal factors influences this change. Our aim is to understand what factors promote and what factors inhibit full recovery.

到60岁时，眩晕、眩晕和失衡影响了近一半的人口，与平衡相关的跌倒，特别是老年人，是一个严重的健康问题。对初级保健医生的调查显示，头晕和眩晕与高血压和心绞痛一样普遍，大约40%的人头晕严重到需要就医。不幸的是，大多数症状并不能通过目前可用的医疗手段得到缓解。然而，在平衡系统中，有一种值得注意的隐藏的“自我修复”储备，在某些条件下可以触发这种储备。我们将这一过程称为前庭代偿，如果我们能够了解这些情况，并发现这种储备影响神经系统的方式，我们或许能够利用它的力量来缓解所有令人痛苦的失衡症状。也许我们甚至能够将这些原则应用于其他可能需要修复的关键系统。我们建议研究中枢神经系统中负责处理平衡信号的关键区域，该区域在前庭代偿中可能非常重要。我们将尝试在受控条件下激活这一恢复过程，以便我们能够了解发生的变化。具体地说，我们将研究前庭(平衡)神经元在中枢神经系统中的作用，这些神经元似乎在内耳平衡器官损伤后发生了改变。我们将使用我们的新记录技术来检查这些前庭神经元，以了解它们的内在特性如何变化，以及哪些外部或内部因素影响这种变化。我们的目标是了解哪些因素促进了全面复苏，哪些因素阻碍了全面复苏。