Effects of Galvanic Stimulation on Spontaneous Nystagmus in Meniere’s Disease and Vestibular Neuritis: A Preliminary Study

Jeong,  Seong Hae; Kim,  Ji Soo

Research in Vestibular Science > Volume 9(2); 2010 > Article

Original Article

Research in Vestibular Science 2010;9(2): 64-69.

자발안진에 대한 갈바니 전기자극의 효과: 전정신경염과 메니에르병에서 예비연구

, 정성해1,2, 김지수1

서울대학교의과대학 신경과학교실, 분당서울대병원 신경과1, 충남대학교병원 신경과2

Effects of Galvanic Stimulation on Spontaneous Nystagmus in Meniere’s Disease and Vestibular Neuritis: A Preliminary Study

Seong Hae Jeong, Ji Soo Kim

¹Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. jisookim@snu.ac.kr
²Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea.

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is known to induce nystagmus, ocular torsion, a tilt of subjective visual vertical, and perceptual and postural shift. The aim of this study was to compare the findings of GVS among the patients with spontaneous nystagmus (SN) caused by Meniere’s disease (MD) or vestibular neuritis (VN). Materials and Methods Three-dimensional video-oculography was performed without fixation in 4 patients with MD and 2 with VN, as diagnosed by history, independent vestibular function tests and neuroimaging. We recorded the eye-movements in response to bilateral, bipolar, and surface GVS (2.5~3 mA) for 30 seconds, and analyzed mean slow phase velocity of SN. Results Of the 4 patients with MD, two exhibited a suppression of the left beating SN during anode stimulation of left mastoid and an augmentation of the nystagmus during cathode stimulation of left mastoid. The same patterns of galvanic modulation were observed in the other 2 patients with right beating SN due to MD. In contrast, the patients with VN showed an absent or decreased response to GVS. Conclusion In MD, the responses to GVS were preserved while the responses were impaired in VN. These results suggest that the irregular vestibular fibers, which are sensitive to GVS, are relatively spared in MD. In contrast, both regular and irregular fibers appear to be damaged in VN. GVS may be helpful in discriminating MD from VN, especially when the patients presented without auditory symptoms.