Anatomy, physiology and clinical role of the vestibular cortex
Main Article Content
Keywords
Vestibular cortex, vestibulo-thalamic-cortical networks, multisensory integration, caloric and galvanic vestibular stimulation, functional imaging
Abstract
The vestibular system, thanks to its peripheral organs, allows us to properly process the angular head movements and linear acceleration in order to give us a proper orien- tation in space. The information from these sensory inputs is routed to the vestibular nuclei and thence ascending tracts of the brainstem, which communicate with the oculomotor nu- clei of the thalamus and structures. Then the information goes to subcortical and cortical centers, which are eminently multisensory nature. The nature and function of these structures are controversial. In this review the main concepts and discoveries at the level of basic and clinical research generated cortical processing of vestibular stimulation are addressed.