Tapping the head activates the vestibular system

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We investigated the use of skull taps with a modified clinical reflex hammer as a method of vestibular activation.Using recently described EMG techniques to measure vestibulocollic reflexes in response to clicks, we were able to show analogous short-latency potentials to taps. The earliest responses were invariably absent on the side of a previous vestibular nerve section but were preserved in profound sensorineural or conductive hearing loss. We propose that the taps activated the vestibular apparatus directly by a bone-conducted vibration wave. NEUROLOGY 1995;45: 1927-1929

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: