Visuo‐vestibular and cognitive connections of the vestibular neuromatrix are conserved across age and injury populations

Abstract

Background and PurposeGiven the prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in pediatric concussion, there is a need to better understand pathophysiological disruptions within vestibular and associated cognitive, affective, and sensory‐integrative networks. Although current research leverages established intrinsic connectivity networks, these are nonspecific for vestibular function, suggesting that a pathologically guided approach is warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the generalizability of the previously identified “vestibular neuromatrix” in adults with and without postconcussive vestibular dysfunction to young athletes aged 14‐17.MethodsThis retrospective study leveraged resting‐state functional MRI data from two sites. Site A included adults with diagnosed postconcussive vestibular impairment and healthy adult controls and Site B consisted of young athletes with preseason, postconcussion, and postseason time points (prospective longitudinal data). Adjacency matrices were generated from preprocessed resting‐state data from each sample and assessed for overlap and network structure in MATLAB.ResultsAnalyses indicated the presence of a conserved “core” network of vestibular regions as well as areas subserving visual, spatial, and attentional processing. Other vestibular connections were also conserved across samples but were not linked to the “core” subnetwork by regions of interest included in this study.ConclusionsOur results suggest that connections between central vestibular, visuospatial, and known intrinsic connectivity networks are conserved across adult and pediatric participants with and without concussion, evincing the significance of this expanded, vestibular‐associated network. Our findings thus support this network as a workable model for investigation in future studies of dysfunction in young athlete populations.

Appropriate Vestibular Stimulation in Children and Adolescents—A Prerequisite for Normal Cognitive, Motor Development and Bodily Homeostasis—A Review

“…The vestibular system is the only sensory system whose information is not directed to a single and specific brain area [83] (Figure 3). Vestibular information is spread from the vestibular nuclei to different parts of the central nervous system, forming a vestibular system-associated network [9,69,83]. Studies have proven that this network significantly impacts the function of various organs and systems, and that there are complex interactions between central vestibular fields and cognitive, oculomotor and emotional circuits [84,85].…”

“…Vestibular information, in contrast to other sensory information, is spread to different parts of the central nervous system, forming the vestibular system-associated network. There is evidence that vestibular information also influences emotions [4][5][6], cognition [6][7][8][9][10][11], the endocrine system [12], the autonomous system [13,14] and memory and cognition [15].…”