Changes in Cortical Activation During Dual-Task Walking in Individuals With and Without Visual Vertigo.
Carrie W Hoppes, Theodore J Huppert, Susan L Whitney and 6 others
PMID 32168158WHAT IT FOUND
People with visual vertigo had lower frontal brain activity than controls while walking on flat or uneven ground, with or without a letter task.
They walked slower, but made similar letter errors.
Key findings
01People with visual vertigo showed lower frontal brain activity than controls during the walking tasks.
02Controls walked faster than participants with visual vertigo across all walking conditions.
03The two groups did not differ in completed alphabet sets or errors made during dual-task walking.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had only 28 participants and compared groups at one time, so it cannot show that visual vertigo caused the brain activity difference or that treatment would change it. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured only shallow right and left prefrontal areas, so other brain regions were not assessed. The authors say it is not known whether lower prefrontal activity in visual vertigo is a physiological impairment or a coping mechanism. The study did not test a therapy, so it does not provide evidence about which treatment works.
Declared interests
The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research funds. The supplied text does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower frontal brain activity as proof that visual vertigo causes a brain problem or that a treatment can fix it. This was a small cross-sectional study, and the authors say it is not known whether the difference is a physiological impairment or a coping mechanism.