ObjectiveNoisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) is often used to improve postural stability in disorders, such as neurorehabilitation montage. For the safe use of nGVS, we investigated whether arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate vary during static supine and slow whole-body tilt with random nGVS (0.4 mA, 0.1–640 Hz, gaussian distribution) in a healthy elderly population.MethodsThis study was conducted with a double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-over design. Seventeen healthy older adults were recruited. They were asked to maintain a static supine position on a bed for 10 min, and the bed was tilted up (TU) to 70 degrees within 30 s. After maintaining this position for 3 min, the bed was passively tilted down (TD) within 30 s. Real-nGVS or sham-nGVS was applied from 4 to 15 min. The time course of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and RR interval variability (RRIV) were analyzed to estimate the autonomic nervous activity.ResultnGVS and/or time, including pre-/post-event (nGVS-start, TU, and TD), had no impact on MAP and RRIV-related parameters. Further, there was no evidence supporting the argument that nGVS induces pain, vertigo/dizziness, and uncomfortable feeling.ConclusionnGVS may not affect the AP and RRIV during static position and whole-body tilting or cause pain, vertigo/dizziness, and discomfort in the elderly.

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ABSTRACT:The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects on the duration of actual and imagined movement when mirror therapy was given. The task selected was a writing task with the non-dominant hand. Subjects were 10 healthy volunteers. The durations of actual and imagined movement were recorded by electronic stop-watch operated by the subject and experimenter. The mirror therapy consisted of 10 minutes observation of the dominant-hand movement reflected in a mirror. A significant reduction in the task time was shown in the duration of the actual and imagined movement. Motor image training with mirror therapy may improve performance in the task. Movement repetition training would not be always needed for motor recovery in patients with motor disorders.