Evolution of the Vestibular System

Synonyms

Vestibular system; Labyrinth; Sense of balance; Sense of equilibrium

Definition

The sense of balance, the vestibular system, is our unknown sense. We recognize its existence only under pathological conditions, such as seasickness, dizziness, vertigo, etc. Among the classical five senses, i.e., vision, taste, smell, touch, hearing, our sense of balance is not mentioned. Quite often, the sense of balance is just considered as an appendix of the auditory sense due to the anatomical unity of cochlea and vestibular apparatus, the so-called inner ear. The inner ear is really a fabulous example of the “engineering” capabilities of nature and evolution being one of the most complex anatomical structures in vertebrate history: in humans, we find two hyper-sensitive hyper-precise sensory organs housed within the space equivalent to that of an aspirin tablet – the auditory sense and the sense of balance. Moreover, under normal life conditions, we are not even aware of the latter’s...