Abstract
Our primary objective was to assess consistent activation and deactivation among healthy participants and patients reporting vertigo. Our secondary aim was to evaluate the influence of the stimulus and the direction of the perception of self-motion We realized a systematic review with an extensive data visualization. We included neuroimaging studies (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI], positron emission tomography [PET] or near infrared spectroscopy [NIRS]) that have measured functional activity in human adults reporting vertigo and/or dizziness. We included 21 studies (n = 336 participants), ~ 64% male, age ranging from 18 to 80.5 years. The different stimuli used to induce vertigo: caloric stimulation, galvanic stimulation, visual stimulation or vibratory stimulus on neck muscles. We found a consistent activation of the insular cortex, inferior parietal lobule, putamen, cerebellum, anterior cingulate cortex, precentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and thalamus. Cortical and subcortical activation seems to have a contralateral pattern to the perception of self-movement. We found a deactivation pattern of structures related to the ventral and third visual pathway. Vertigo is an unpleasant and subjective experience which involves multiple vestibular and non-specific networks with the involvement of a cortico–basal ganglia– cerebellar–thalamic network.
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CVR designed the systematic review, designed the search strategy, realized the inclusion phase, analyzed the methodological quality and risk of bias, realized the data extraction, analyzed the data, realized the data visualization and wrote the draft. AHG realized the inclusion phase, review the data extraction and critically appraised the draft. JDN analyzed the methodological quality and risk of bias, review the data extraction and critically appraised the manuscript. LSM helped in the management of the project, helped to reach consensus in the analysis of the methodological quality and risk of bias, and critically appraised the manuscript. FCM helped in the management of the project, helped to reach consensus in the inclusion phase, and critically appraised the manuscript.
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Varangot-Reille, C., Herranz-Gomez, A., de la Nava, J. et al. The experience of vertigo: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 2797–2808 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-022-00729-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-022-00729-3