Does vestibular stimulation activate thalamocortical mechanisms that reintegrate impaired cortical regions?

Proc Biol Sci. 1999 Feb 22;266(1417):421-3. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0654.

Abstract

Caloric stimulation induced a transient reversal of multimodal hemispatial cognitive deficits in an 81-year-old woman with an acute left cerebral hemisphere stroke. The patient had unawareness of her right hand (asomatognosia), right-sided visual unawareness (hemineglect), aphasia and right-sided weakness (hemiplegia) prior to the stimulation. Transient improvements in impaired sensory, motor, linguistic and cognitive function developed within 30 s following application of the caloric stimulus and onset of horizontal nystagmus. The effect persisted for 3 min and ceased completely after 5 min. While several recent reports have described the capacity of caloric stimulation to transiently improve or reverse a wide range of attentional, cognitive and motor impairments, most examples are in right-hemisphere-damaged patients with long-standing brain injury. Typically, patients have been tested several months or years after the onset of the deficit. A possible mechanism for the temporary reintegration of multiple cognitive functions in this patient is discussed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Attention
  • Awareness
  • Cerebrovascular Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cerebrovascular Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Cerebrovascular Disorders / rehabilitation
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Cognition Disorders / rehabilitation
  • Cryotherapy
  • Ear Canal
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Physical Stimulation / methods
  • Temporal Lobe / physiopathology*
  • Therapeutic Irrigation / methods