Res Vestib Sci.  2018 Mar;17(1):1-7. 10.21790/rvs.2018.17.1.1.

Interaction of Autonomic and Vestibular System

• Lee ES
• Lee TK

• KMID: 2408590
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21790/rvs.2018.17.1.1

Abstract

The relationship between the vestibular system and the autonomic nervous system has been well studied in the context of the maintenance of homeostasis to the changing internal and external milieus. The perturbations of the autonomic indexes to the vestibular stimuli have been demonstrated in animal studies. In addition, the fluctuation of the blood pressure and the heart rate with other autonomic symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and pallor are common manifestations in the wide range of vestibular disorders. At the same time, the disorders of the autonomic nervous system can cause dizziness and vertigo in some group of patients. In the anatomical point of view, the relationship between autonomic and vestibular systems is evident. The afferent signals from each system converge to the nucleus of solitary tract to be integrated in medullary reticular formation and the each pathway from the vestibular and autonomic nervous system is interconnected from medulla to cerebral cortex. In this paper, the reported evidence demonstrating the relationship between autonomic derangement and vestibular disorders is reviewed and the further clinical implications are discussed.

Keyword

Autonomic nervous system; Dizziness; Vestibular system

MeSH Terms

Animals
Autonomic Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System Diseases
Blood Pressure
Cerebral Cortex
Dizziness
Heart Rate
Homeostasis
Humans
Nausea
Pallor
Reticular Formation
Solitary Nucleus
Vertigo
Vomiting