VESTIBULAR PROSTHETICS

Disorders of the peripheral vestibular system are relatively common and often result in severely impaired mobility, blurred vision and debilitating attacks of vertigo. Preliminary research in the area of vestibular neuroprosthetics provides hope that some vestibular impaired patients may eventually be helped by providing alternative motion cues or, ultimately, restoring motion-sensitive vestibular afferent inputs to the brain. Conceptually, vestibular prosthetics are relatively simple, consisting of 4 principal elements: a power source, sensors, a signal processor, and stimulators. These 4 elements can be combined in various different ways to provide information to the nervous system. This chapter reviews the current state of vestibular sensory substitution devices and peripheral vestibular neuroprosthetics. While preliminary work indicates clinical potential, numerous unresolved technical challenges remain to be addressed.