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Vestibular Influences on Locomotion in Humans: Results of the Use of Transmastoid Galvanic Stimulation

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Locomotion is the most important means for movement in space. The role of the vestibular system during human locomotion has received insufficient study, mainly because of difficulties associated with isolated stimulation of this system in these conditions. Isolated stimulation of this system during locomotion is difficult because physical movements of the head, activating the vestibular end organs, unavoidably leads to activation of other sensory inputs. Galvanic stimulation is not a natural means of stimulating the vestibular system, but it has the advantage that it provides isolated stimulation of the vestibular inputs. This technique is relatively new in studies of vestibular involvement in human locomotion. Our review addresses contemporary data on the effects of vestibular signals on locomotion in humans obtained using vestibular galvanic stimulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia

    Yu. K. Stolbkov & Yu. P. Gerasimenko

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  1. Yu. K. Stolbkov
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  2. Yu. P. Gerasimenko
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Correspondence to Yu. K. Stolbkov.

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Translated from Rossiiskii Fiziologicheskii Zhurnal imeni I. M. Sechenova, Vol. 100, No. 6, pp. 684–698, June, 2014.

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Stolbkov, Y.K., Gerasimenko, Y.P. Vestibular Influences on Locomotion in Humans: Results of the Use of Transmastoid Galvanic Stimulation. Neurosci Behav Physi 46, 42–50 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-015-0196-3

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