The vestibular apparatus: how it works and what its diseases are. Vestibular apparatus - disorders of its functions, symptoms and causes

Every person makes a lot of body movements every day: walking, squatting, turning. Often all movements are given without the slightest effort and turn out smooth. However, sometimes an extra step or bending of the body causes serious discomfort: dizziness, disorientation and nausea sets in. Perhaps the reason lies in a disease or disorder of the vestibular apparatus.

What is the vestibular apparatus

The organs of balance have complex system buildings and are responsible for several functions simultaneously. However, the main one among many others is vestibular analyzer – peripheral section system responsible for correct orientation in space. If there are any violations of the coordination system, a person loses the ability to maintain balance, navigate in space, perceive visual, audio information, he begins to feel dizzy.

Where is the organ of balance located?

If you open an anatomy textbook, you can see many photos of the structure of the balance system. However, most of these images do not provide a clear idea of ​​where the vestibular apparatus is located in humans. If you imagine the structure cranium from the inside, you can find that this organ is located in the inner ear. Around the balance apparatus are the semicircular canals, jelly-like endolymph and receptors of the vestibular analyzer.

How does the vestibular apparatus work?

The components of the system are three semicircular tubules - the utriculus and the otolithic organ - the sacculus. The channels are filled from the inside with a viscous liquid and have the shape of a shell, at the base of which there is a seal - jelly-like cupules. The sacculus is divided into two sacs: round and oval shape. Above them are small crystals of calcium carbonate - otoliths.

Under the sealing valve there are ciliated cells inner ear, with the help of which two types of signals are transmitted: static and dynamic. The first are associated with the position of the body, the second with the acceleration of movement. In general, the coordination organ is formed in such a way that at the slightest tilt and turn of the head or walking, all the component parts interact at once.

How does the balance organ work?

Although the vestibular system is located inside the bone box, this does not prevent it from collecting information not only about the position of the head, but also the arms, legs and other organs human body. The connection with the balance apparatus is particularly secure. nerve endings, gastrointestinal tract, of cardio-vascular system. That is why, after being nervous and drinking too much coffee, many people feel dizzy.

Under the influence of attraction, the jelly-like liquid and the crystals in it will shift, affecting the balance receptors. The villi will immediately transmit information to the brain about changes in balance, and from there instructions will come to other organs: change muscle tone, move your leg or arm to the right, stand up straighter. At the same time, it is very interesting that the vestibular system is configured only for horizontal movement of the body, therefore, when going up in an elevator or flying on an airplane, many experience severe nausea, ringing in the ears, dizziness.

Functions

In close proximity to optic nerves And ears the balance system has nothing to do with hearing or vision. Main function vestibular apparatus - analyze changes in the position of the arms, legs, torso or head and transmit data to the brain. The organ quickly reacts to minimal external influence, capturing even the slightest changes in the planet’s gravitational field, helping to maintain balance during complete blindness or navigate in an unfamiliar space.

Vestibular disorders

Due to the fact that all components of the balance apparatus act together, while it manages to collect information from other organs of the body, the slightest deviations in one direction or another can lead to disruptions in its functioning. Vestibular disorders cause serious problems in spatial orientation not only in humans, but also in animals and birds.

Previously, such deviations from the norm affect the gait: it becomes uncertain, shaky, a person can fall for no reason or crash into an upright piece of furniture. In addition, many patients complain of constant dizziness, pain in the temporal region, blurred vision, tinnitus, increased frequency heart rate.

Reasons for violation

Why the vestibular apparatus is disrupted is difficult to answer unequivocally even for an experienced otolaryngologist. For example, a simple head injury or short-term loss of consciousness can lead to this pathology. If an adult complains of dizziness, then it is likely that the cause lies in heart problems. When a system failure occurs after an infection: otitis media, ARVI with complications, inflammation, they speak of intoxication.

Symptoms

Doctors say that the main manifestations of the pathology are severe dizziness, loss of coordination and eye twitching. However, the patient is often haunted by other accompanying symptoms of vestibular system disorders:

• attacks of nausea, sometimes vomiting;
• changes in color skin, mucous membranes of the mouth, membranes of the eyes;
• profuse sweating;
• level up blood pressure;
• tachycardia;
• rapid breathing;
• a decrease in body temperature below normal levels;
• change in heart rate.

All signs may appear in fits and starts. During periods of calm, the patient feels completely healthy, and previous symptoms vestibular disorders chalks it up to fatigue. Often such signs of malaise occur when changing body position, tilting or turning the head, changes in temperature or air humidity, when sudden unpleasant odors.

Diseases of the vestibular apparatus

Doctors count more than 80 different diseases that in one way or another may be associated with a violation of the balance apparatus. Examples include diseases of the endocrine system, traumatic brain injuries, cardiovascular pathologies, serious mental disorders. At the same time, for all diseases of the vestibular system, doctors will have an explanation, a description of the symptoms and ways to check them.

Meniere's disease

This disease of the balance apparatus can be described using only four signs: dizziness, noise or congestion in the ears and hearing loss. The first three symptoms peak within a couple of minutes, gradually subsiding over several hours. Decline sound perception on early stage reversible. In some patients, Meniere's syndrome may be accompanied by short-term loss consciousness or balance.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

This deviation can occur at any age, but most often affects the elderly. It is caused by infections, traumatic brain injuries, or ischemic disease hearts, sometimes the source cannot be determined. In patients with this diagnosis, a feeling of dizziness, loss of balance and other symptoms appear with every turn, tilt of the torso or head.

Basilar migraine

The syndrome is short-lived and usually affects patients under 20 years of age. Basilar or teenage migraine is especially common in girls entering their formative years. menstrual cycle. Headaches, dizziness and nausea in a teenager appear suddenly and in rare cases development lasts more than one hour.

Vestibular neuritis

The disease is possible at any age. Its appearance is often accompanied by acute respiratory infection, so doctors attribute diseases viral nature. Neuritis of the vestibular apparatus is accompanied by severe rotational dizziness, vomiting and nausea, and twitching of the eyelid. With properly selected treatment, the deviation disappears in 3-4 days, but full recovery it will take up to several weeks.

What to do if the vestibular system is damaged

When the balance organs fail and signal this in every possible way, a person should first undergo an examination and visit an ENT doctor’s office. Mandatory diagnostics includes:

• special hardware tests for audiometry and electronystagmography;
• CT or MRI of the brain;
• blood analysis;
• ultrasound examination of blood flow;
• vestibular tests.

Training

If the dizziness is minor and only bothers you when traveling on a boat, going up in an elevator, or making sudden turns of the body, your balance apparatus needs to be trained. Exercises for the vestibular apparatus can be mastered by anyone if desired:

1. Sit on a chair or armchair. Pull forward forefinger and fix your gaze on it. Start turning your head in different directions, gradually increasing the pace.
2. Next exercise: take two cards in your hands, straighten your elbows. It is necessary to alternately focus your gaze on one of the cards, while your head must remain motionless.
3. Stand up, spread your legs, and focus your gaze straight ahead. Start making circular movements with your body. First with a small amplitude, then with a large circle diameter.
4. All exercises for training the vestibular system should be performed daily with several approaches.

Treatment

If imbalances progress and other symptoms are added to the momentary dizziness, gymnastics will not help. Urgent medical treatment of vestibular vertigo is necessary. The choice of drug and method of therapy will depend on the reasons that caused this:

• If damage to the balance apparatus is caused by peripheral polyneuropathy, then diabetes must be treated.
• At paroxysmal vertigo, the ENT specialist chooses a special technique: he turns the patient in a certain sequence, the crystals change location, after which an improvement in well-being occurs.
• Treatment of dizziness with Meniere's syndrome cannot be done without effective antihistamines and antiemetic drugs. In addition, the patient definitely needs nutritional correction and special diet.
• Migraines in children can be treated with aspirin, ergotamine, beta blockers and antidepressants.
• If disorders appear at retirement age, the doctor may suggest implanting implants that will restore the lost balance.

Folk remedies for dizziness

Along with drug therapy and preventive gymnastics, it is possible to treat the vestibular apparatus folk remedies. For example, make ginger tincture:

1. Take 4 tsp. grated ginger root, mix with a pinch of dried mint, fennel seeds, pumpkin seeds, chamomile flowers and orange zest.
2. Pour the herbal mixture hot water, let steep for 15 minutes and drink if you experience dizziness, loss of balance, or other signs of systemic disturbances.

In case of persistent dysfunction of the balance apparatus at home, strengthen weak body A balm made from three tinctures helps:

1. For half a liter of alcohol, take 4 tablespoons of clover inflorescences. Wrap the container with foil and leave for 2 weeks.
2. For the same amount of alcohol, take 5 tbsp. l. Dioscorea root. Insist as in the previous recipe.
3. Fill the propolis with alcohol and put it in a dark place. After 10 days, strain the tincture.
4. Mix all three components and take 1 tbsp three times after meals. l.

Video: what the vestibular apparatus is responsible for

Vestibular apparatus- this is nothing more than an organ of balance. Thanks to this mechanism, in human body the body is oriented in space, which is located deep in the pyramid of the temporal bone, next to the cochlea of ​​the inner ear (hearing aid).

STRUCTURE

The vestibular apparatus consists of two pouches and three semicircular canals. The vestibule is lined from the inside flat endothelium and filled endolymph(liquid).

The channels are located in three mutually perpendicular directions. This corresponds to three dimensions of space (height, length, width) and allows one to determine the position and movement of a body in space.

Receptors vestibular apparatus are hair cells. They are in the walls of the sacs And semicircular canals. The bags are full thick liquid which contain small crystals of calcium salts. If the head is in vertical position, the pressure falls on cell hairs, located at the bottom of the bag. If the position of the head changes, the pressure shifts to its side walls.

The semicircular canals are, like the sacs, closed containers with liquid. During rotational movements of the body, the fluid in a certain tubule either lags behind in movement or continues to move by inertia, leading to deviation sensitive hairs and excitement receptors.

From receptors of the vestibular apparatus nerve impulses go to central nervous system . At the level midbrain, the centers of the vestibular analyzer form close relations With centers of the oculomotor nerve. This, in particular, explains the illusion of objects moving in a circle after we stop rotating.

The vestibular centers are closely related to cerebellum And hypothalamus, because of which, when motion sickness occurs, a person loses coordination of movement and nausea occurs. The vestibular analyzer ends in the cerebral cortex. Its participation in the implementation of conscious movements allows you to control the body in space.

MOTION MOTION SYNDROME

Unfortunately, the vestibular apparatus, like any other organ, is vulnerable. A sign of trouble in it is motion sickness syndrome. It can serve as a manifestation of one or another vegetative disease nervous system or organs of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammatory diseases hearing aid. In this case, it is necessary to carefully and persistently treat the underlying disease.

As you recover, as a rule, the unpleasant sensations that arose while traveling on a bus, train or car disappear. But sometimes even practically healthy people get sick in transport.

HIDDEN MOTION MOTION SICKNESS SYNDROME

There is such a thing as a syndrome hidden motion sickness. For example, a passenger tolerates trips by train, bus, or tram well, but in a passenger car with a soft, smooth ride he suddenly begins to feel motion sick. Or, the driver copes well with his driving duties.

But the driver found himself not in his usual driver’s seat, but nearby, and while driving he began to suffer from the unpleasant sensations characteristic of motion sickness syndrome. Every time he gets behind the wheel, he unconsciously sets himself a super task - to carefully monitor the road and follow the rules. traffic, do not create emergency situations. It is this that blocks the slightest manifestations of motion sickness syndrome.

Latent motion sickness syndrome can affect a person who is unaware of it, cruel joke. But the easiest way to get rid of it is to stop riding, say, a bus that causes dizziness and lightheadedness.

Usually in this case a tram or other type of transport does not call similar symptoms. By constantly tempering and training, setting oneself up for victory and success, a person can cope with motion sickness syndrome and, forgetting about unpleasant and painful sensations, without fear, hit the road.

PREVENTION OF MOTION MOTION

What should completely healthy people do with motion sickness syndrome? We must remember well that an untrained, leading sedentary lifestyle At a certain point in a person’s life, a person’s well-being begins to deteriorate sharply, and the deterioration of the condition of the whole organism leads to dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus.

Conversely, a “hardened” person almost always feels good. This means that even with increased sensitivity of the vestibular apparatus, it tolerates motion sickness less painfully or does not experience it at all.

Sports and physical education not only develop certain groups muscles, but also have a beneficial effect on the entire body, in particular on the vestibular apparatus, training and strengthening it.

Most suitable species sports for people prone to motion sickness - aerobics, jogging, basketball, volleyball, football. While moving around the site or field with at different speeds The excitability of the vestibular apparatus sharply decreases, the process of its adaptation to stress occurs, which helps a person get rid of motion sickness.

TRAINING THE VESTIBULAR APPARATUS

• Feet shoulder-width apart, we stretch our hands first to the right, then to the left leg, be sure to monitor your breathing: tilt - exhale, return to the starting position - take a deep breath.
• You can supplement your workout with boxing. Clenching our fists and bending our elbows, we box with an invisible opponent: we throw out right hand forward and to the left (the head and torso make a slight turn following the hand), return it to its original position and immediately forcefully throw the left hand forward and to the right.
• Then we start walking: walk forward two meters and, without turning around, the same amount back. Moreover, for the first few days, perform this task with your eyes open, and then with your eyes closed. You need to perform the complex every day, repeating each exercise 10–15 times.
• Various tilts and turns of the head; its smooth rotation from one shoulder to the other; bends, turns, rotations of the body in different directions (you can include these exercises in a complex of morning exercises or perform them throughout the day; at first, do each movement 2-3 times, gradually increase the number of repetitions to 6-8 times or more, focusing on how you feel and mood during classes);
• somersaults, gymnastic exercises on the horizontal bar, log.

Swinging in a hammock, on swings, carousels, and attractions also helps strengthen the vestibular apparatus. Great value also has the mood with which you go on the road. Self-hypnosis before and during the trip, auto-training, confidence that everything will go well, pleasant memories or dreams of the future, which you can immerse yourself in when entering the bus or boarding the train, can save you from the painful anticipation of an attack of lightheadedness or fainting. , ward off the unpleasant sensations that accompany motion sickness syndrome.

Before the trip, you should not overeat, but it is not recommended to go on an empty stomach. Another one, helpful advice: Always leave home early. In case you feel the approach of lightheadedness, fainting, dizziness, weakness (these characteristic symptoms motion sickness syndrome, especially pronounced in crowded conditions and stuffiness), you will be able to get out of the bus or subway car and slowly walk part of the way.

Such forethought on your part will help relieve nervous tension and avoid stress caused by the fear of waiting for the trip, and possibly motion sickness itself. Finally, there is another way to get rid of motion sickness syndrome - medication. When going on a long trip, take with you Aeron (or any analogue), which reduces the sensitivity of the vestibular apparatus.

But you should not abuse this remedy, otherwise a habit will quickly develop and the pills will no longer have any effect. desired effect. In pharmacies a large assortment these drugs, so the choice is yours, and have an easy road!

THE VESTIBULAR APPARATUS LOVES:

1. Active lifestyle;
2. Healthy autonomic nervous system;
3. Healthy hearing aid;

THE VESTIBULAR APPARATUS DOESN'T LIKE:

1. Physical inactivity (sedentary lifestyle);;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
3. Diseases of the autonomic nervous system;
4. Diseases of the hearing aid.

Brief information about the function of the vestibular apparatus. How complex biological system The vestibular apparatus provides constant information to the brain about the position of the body in space. Any movement of a person or animal associated with a change in the position of the entire body or individual parts(arms, legs, head), controlled by the vestibular apparatus. That's why physiological significance This device is very large. However, the vestibular apparatus, although the most important, is not the only analyzer of space. It performs precise coordination of movements together with the muscular-articular, skin and visual analyzers.

From the receptor cells located in the labyrinth, impulses are constantly emanating, helping to maintain normal muscle tone. When these cells are stimulated (for example, during rotation), stronger impulses appear aimed at maintaining balance. In this case, impulses come simultaneously from both labyrinths. The reflex connections of the vestibular apparatus with the muscles of the neck, torso, and limbs are configured in such a way that the right labyrinth tones primarily the muscles that provide movement of the body to the left, and, conversely, the left labyrinth tones the muscles that provide movement to the right. Therefore, it is normal healthy person the muscles are in a state of tonic balance. A change in the tone of one of the labyrinths leads to an imbalance of muscle tone, which, in turn, will cause a deviation of the torso and limbs in any direction, depending on which labyrinth is affected and what impulses from it emanate to the brain (reduced or increased).

The main purpose of the vestibular analyzer is to provide the muscular-articular apparatus with accurate signaling about the direction and speed of movement of the body (or its individual parts), regardless of whether the movement is passive (for example, a person is driving a car) or active (for example, running). All human movements occur with the participation of other receptors located in the skin, muscles and under the control visual analyzer. These departments are closely interconnected and function clearly thanks to the reflex nervous system developed over centuries.

Acute shutdown of the function of the vestibular analyzer has an extremely adverse effect on human life, and in animals - on their viability. Deprived of an alarm system, animals cannot move properly in space (birds, in particular, cannot fly). Disturbed orientation makes them a victim of predators or dooms them to death from hunger.

In humans, thanks to the developed cerebral cortex, vestibular disorders are compensated more effectively than in animals and more quickly. In the end, when one or both labyrinths are completely turned off (for example, after purulent labyrinthitis), the statokinetics remains normal, appearing only mild impairments in the dark (with visual orientation turned off).

How does the vestibular analyzer ensure balance in space? Since ancient times, its two constituent parts - the otolith apparatus and the semicircular capillaries - did not develop simultaneously. Compared to the semicircular canals of the otoliths, the apparatus is more ancient.

In the process of evolution of the animal world, its adaptability to conditions external environment stimuli arose and changed, requiring the maintenance of balance at rest and during movement. At the most ancient stages, they produced movements in the sagittal and frontal planes with rectilinear acceleration and movement of gravity. Control over these actions was fully ensured by the otolith apparatus. It is designed in such a way that its stimulus is the displacement of heavy calcareous otoliths up or down (in the sagittal plane) or along the horizontal plane. Otoliths excite receptor hair cells when they press on the cells or pull on their hairs. Thanks to the same structure of the otoliths, the apparatus, even at rest, is constantly irritated by the gravitational forces of earth's gravity, since the otolith membrane constantly presses on the hairs of the receptor cells. Nerve impulses, coming from the otolith apparatus, maintain normal tone of skeletal muscles and ensure the correct position of the body in space (position reaction). In this case, the labyrinthine reflex lasts as long as the head (or torso) maintains one position or another.

Irritation of the otolithic apparatus can also be caused using centrifugal force - at very high rotation speeds, calcareous otoliths sometimes even open. Otolithic reflexes in humans are less pronounced than in animals, but they are still important during prolonged exposure to a stimulus. In this case, vegetative reactions in the form of nausea, vomiting and sensory reactions (a feeling of falling through) are manifested to a significant extent. These signs of irritation of the otolithic apparatus can also be observed in healthy people (especially in people with hypersensitivity this apparatus, in particular when sailing on a ship in stormy weather).

Symptoms of irritation of the otolithic apparatus are called seasickness. Otolith reactions are studied in people mainly during professional selection for naval or flight service and for work at high altitudes.

Since the evolution of the animal world was accompanied by the complication of movements, the otolith apparatus alone became insufficient to maintain balance. It required the appearance of a special organ that signals to the cerebral cortex about displacements of the body or head in a circle - about rotations. He was obliged to ensure, with the help of developed reflexes, the preservation of balance. The semicircular canals and its ampullary receptors were such an organ. Among the three semicircular canals, the most ancient are the horizontal ones.

As already mentioned, ampullar receptors have the form of a valve (cupule), almost completely occupying the lumen of the ampulla and washed by endolymph. Receptor cells located in the cupula are irritated only when the cupula is displaced in one direction or another. However, to a greater extent, their irritation occurs when the cupula is displaced towards the vestibule - when the column of fluid moves along the semicircular canal from its straight end to the expanded - ampullary. In this case, displacement of the liquid column is possible only when the rotation speed changes (with angular accelerations). Cupules - valves are placed in the endolymph and are in a confined space. Therefore, they will shift not only at the moment of the beginning and end of rotation, but also when the rotation speed changes (according to the law of inertia). During uniform rotation, the cupula will be at rest.

Irritation of the ampullary receptors, in addition to the sensory reaction (sensation of rotation, its speed and direction), causes many reflexes (muscle and autonomic) due to extensive connections with various parts of the central nervous system. Among the muscle reflexes, special mention should be made of the reflexes to the eye muscles (through oculomotor muscles) and on the muscles of the neck, limbs and torso (through spinal cord). The reflex influence of the vestibular apparatus on the eye muscles is expressed in the occurrence of “vestibular” nystagmus, which is characterized by a rhythmic pendulum-like twitching of both eyeballs with the presence of slow (in one direction) and fast (in the other) components. The slow component occurs in response to irritation of the vestibular receptor by the endolymph current and has a reflex origin like an unconditioned (involuntary) reflex. The fast component is of central origin and occurs in response to slow eye movement to the side. The brain seems to return the eyeballs to their original position. The slow component has an important biological significance, as it ensures gaze fixation. Reflex displacements of the eyeballs were the first labyrinthine reflexes in response to turns of the head or body. Over the centuries, the central nervous system has developed a rapid shift of the eyes to the “straight” position (the fast component of nystagmus).

In a healthy person, small turns do not cause vestibular irritation, since the initial positive acceleration is inhibited by the final negative one. It has great importance, since in Everyday life turns of the head and body rarely exceed 90-180°. However, the sense of direction and speed of turn is retained.

It should be borne in mind that the nystagmus reaction depends not only on the state of the labyrinth, but also on the functions of the nerve pathways, vestibular centers, etc. The state of the subcortical nuclear structures, which are also associated with the cerebral cortex, is especially important. When the cortex is inhibited and the activity of the subcortical region predominates, the nystagmus reaction can be sharply enhanced.

It is necessary to emphasize once again that the vestibular apparatus as a sensory organ is one of the most ancient organs, and therefore is in contact with many sensory organs through numerous neuro-reflex connections. IN normal conditions These reflexes ensure harmonious movements and balance. Mild irritations under normal conditions do not cause discomfort, while strong irritations can lead to unpleasant sensations dizziness, falling, nausea, etc. And what more irritation, the more dizzy.

The vestibular analyzer is a system of nerve structures and mechanoreceptors that gives a person the ability to perceive and correctly direct the position of his own body in the surrounding space. At the same time, their irritants are accelerations of various kinds.

Angular accelerations cause the ampullary receptors to be excited. They are linear in nature, due to which impulses arise in the sensors of the vestibule. Ampullary and vestibule impulses are transformed into nerve signals and help maintain the orientation of the central nervous system in space.

Disorders of the vestibular system, the treatment and symptoms of which will be discussed in this article, provoke dizziness and loss of balance. This disorder leads to the inability to control the spatial position of one’s own body and fixate one’s gaze. Defects in the activity of the vestibular apparatus provoke brain pathologies and vascular problems.

Structure of the vestibular apparatus

The human vestibular system is essentially a gyroscope, where minimal change The angle of the head causes specific receptors to move that detect these changes. The ampoules of the semicircular canals are filled with endolymph - a special liquid in which otoliths, that is, calcareous formations, are immersed. The structure of the vestibular analyzer is unique.

When the body and head are turned or tilted, the endolymph mixes, it moves in the channels and sets the otoliths in motion. They, in turn, cause irritation of ciliated cells - sensitive hairs that are part of nerve cells, receiving at any vibration of the hairs a signal about the movement of the body in space and then transmitting the signal along the nerve fibers further to the brain. Research into the function of the vestibular apparatus is important.

The area of ​​the brain responsible for balance returns this signal to the muscles and stimulates them motor activity(tone) or a state of rest that allows the body to achieve a stable position. To see something similar to the functions of the vestibular apparatus, you can watch a glass of water. When it tilts to the side, the container itself takes on a given position, but the water level is invariably parallel to the ground. The only difference is that the water level is regulated by gravity, while the position of a person in space is carried out by the functions of the vestibular analyzer. Its departments are as follows.

In the peripheral (receptor) section are the hair cells of the organ, which is located in the labyrinth of the pyramid of the temporal bone. The three semicircular canals and vestibules make up vestibular organ, it is also called the organ of balance and gravity.

In the conductive section, the peripheral fibers of the bipolar neurons of the vestibular ganglion, which is located in the auditory canal, approach the receptors.

There is a connection between the cerebellum and the vestibular apparatus, thanks to which fine regulation of motor reflexes occurs. If the functioning of the cerebellum is disrupted, then these reflexes lose their functions, which is manifested by symptoms such as increased or spontaneously occurring nystagmus, loss of balance, and excessive range of motion.

The central section of the vestibular analyzer is located in the cerebral cortex in the temporal part.

Unfortunately, this efficient, complex and precise system is subject to permanent or temporary negative influence: For defects in the vestibular apparatus to appear, a malfunction in any structure is quite enough. Below we will look at the most frequent illnesses, affecting the vestibular apparatus, as well as the basic principles of their therapy.

Symptoms of defects of the vestibular apparatus

Violation of the vestibular apparatus is characterized by the following symptoms:

• twitching of the eyeballs;
• dizziness;
• unsteady gait.

Other violations

In addition, there is a violation of statokinetic reflexes. These symptoms are often accompanied by ringing in the ears or hearing loss.

During Meniere's disease Redness or paleness of the skin of the face and increased salivation and sweating may be observed. If hearing loss is also accompanied by dry mouth, diabetic neuropathy is suspected. When provoking pathology multiple sclerosis, dysfunctions of other nerve fibers occupying a peripheral position.

Vestibular neuritis

This disease is the most common defect of the vestibular analyzer, diagnosed in patients of any age. age category, lifestyle and type of activity. The cause is infection with herpes (shingles, chickenpox and other pathologies caused by this virus act as a provoking circumstance).

Symptoms such as:

A gradually increasing feeling of dizziness, the occurrence of which is possible without any connection with body movements;

Attacks of vomiting and nausea that begin during dizziness;

Sharp movements of the eyeballs, that is, nystagmus, when both pupils begin to move rapidly in a circle and/or from side to side.

Treatment: In most cases, symptoms remain for several weeks and then go away on their own. In some situations, if both herpetic infections, the specialist prescribes antiviral treatment.

BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)

BPPV is the next common vestibular disorder that occurs due to pathological processes in the inner ear and defects in the hydromechanical principles of the vestibular system.

Main causes: BPPV is most often observed in patients after surgery, in those who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury, and in those whose age is over sixty years. Thus, the provoking factor is defects cerebral circulation(during surgery after anesthesia, head injury and vascular changes due to age).

Symptoms

Symptoms such as:

Short-term dizziness, which can last from a few seconds to three to five minutes;

Dizziness that appears when changing the position of the head (if you sharply tilt or turn it, throw it back, etc.);

When dizziness occurs involuntary movements eyeballs (similar to those that occur while tracking a rotating object).

Therapy: mainly used special exercises, which are designed to move particles that irritate the ciliated cells to another part in the inner ear. In particular severe cases, if serious persistent dizziness is observed that cannot be treated, it is possible to use surgical methods solving the problem. Disorders and treatment of the vestibular system are of interest to many.

Meniere's disease

This pathology is accompanied by an increase in the amount of fluid in the labyrinth (this is one of the structures in the inner ear), with a subsequently observed increase in pressure in this area.

The reasons are as follows:

Allergic reactions of a chronic and acute nature;

Diseases and conditions in which the water-salt metabolism(metabolic and endocrine defects);

Vascular pathologies;

Viral infections, including syphilis;

Structure violations inner ear congenital type.

A vestibular analyzer examination should be carried out for the following symptoms:

Prolonged dizziness that appears for no apparent reason;

Accompanying dizziness with ringing and noise in the ears;

During the long course of the disease, there are disturbances in coordination of movements and certain difficulties in maintaining balance;

Vomiting and nausea;

Gradual decrease in hearing acuity.

Therapy

Goal of treatment in this case- eliminate the causes that provoked Meniere's disease. As independent therapy, antihistamines, diuretics, hormonal medicines, which alleviate the patient’s condition and help normalize pressure levels in the labyrinth, and establish fluid exchange in it.

In what cases is research of the function of the vestibular apparatus still required?

Intoxication

Numerous substances (industrial and household chemicals, medications) can have a toxic effect on the human nervous system, including the vestibular apparatus. At the same time, from group affiliation the direction of the disorder depends on the toxin: Negative influence to the auditory, vestibular or any nerve responsible for transmitting backward and forward signals between inner ear and the brain. The physiology of the vestibular analyzer is very fragile, any failure can lead to serious consequences.

Signs of intoxication that affects the human vestibular apparatus:

• attacks of vomiting and/or nausea, dizziness always accompany the period of use a certain drug, a person being in an environmentally unfavorable place, inhaling chemical fumes, etc.;
• In addition to dizziness, visual defects are also possible (double images, dark spots in the eyes, blurred vision, etc.).

Treatment

Since the severity of the disease, clinical picture and the danger to a person’s condition are determined by the type of toxin that affects the body, therapy is prescribed strictly on an individual basis, depending on the anamnesis and possible risks which can result from intoxication.

It is very important to note that intoxication with biological or chemicals can lead not only to hearing loss, but also cause fatal outcome. If there is any symptom that appears after contact with harmful or poisonous substances, you should immediately contact a specialist or call an ambulance.

Thus, we examined the vestibular analyzer and disturbances in its operation.