The role of cognitive processes in vestibular disorders

AbstractEquilibrium of the body is the result of perfect control of the relationship between the body and the environment in every life condition. Equilibrium is an essential function and hence cannot be entrusted to a single organ or apparatus. The function requires an entire balance system consisting of a set of communicating structures and processes. At every moment, the central nervous system (CNS) processes the inputs received from various receptors in the human body. Key steps in processing the different inputs involve recognition of the single afferences, comparison and integration of the multitude of afferences and their modulation to regulate the gain on the whole system. Furthermore, the CNS stores the experiences and finally programmes the responses to adapt to the ongoing reality. The vestibular system plays a critical role in maintaining the balance function and, therefore, its inputs must be integrated with the highest brain functions. From an anatomo-physiological perspective, the existence...