Cortical areas activated by bilateral galvanic vestibular stimulation

Elie Lobel, Justus F. Kleine, Anne Leroy-Willig, Pierre François Van De Moortele, Denis Le Bihan, Otto Joachim Grüsser, Alain Berthoz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

The brain areas activated by bilateral galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) were studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In six human volunteers, GVS led to activation in the region of the temporoparietal junction, the central sulcus, and the anterior interior intraparietal sulcus, which may correspond to macaque areas PIVC, 3aV, and 2v, respectively. In addition, activation was found in premotor regions of the frontal lobe, presumably analogous to areas 6pa and 8a in the monkey. Since these areas were not detected in previous studies using caloric vestibular stimulation, they could be related to the modulation of otolith afferent activity by GVS. However, the simple paradigm used did not allow separation of the otolithic and semicircular canal effects of GVS. Further studies must be performed to clarify the question of cortical representation of the otolithic information in the human and monkey brain.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)313-323
Number of pages11
JournalAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Volume871
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1999

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cortical areas activated by bilateral galvanic vestibular stimulation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this