Vertigo in response to sound stimulation

Under controlled test conditions, a nystagmus reaction to loud sound stimulation has been demonstrated to be a normal phenomenon; vertigo, nausea, and cold sweat were found to be possible reactions to loud sound. [N. A. McLaughlin, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, S144(A) (1978)]. The present study investigated whether there was an auditory and/or vestibular “profile” characteristic of the individual who is at risk for a vertiginous reaction to sound stimulation. Subjects who experienced a vertiginous reaction to sound had been stimulated with pure tones of 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz presented in random order. The results showed that the only physical finding common to all of these individuals was a normal vestibular system and neither hearing acuity nor degree of nystagmus reaction to sound stimulation was a factor. The data indicated a relationship between virtiginous reaction and the frequency of the sound stimuli. 65.8% of the vertiginous reactions resulted from stimulation by pure ton...