FOCAL INCREASE OF BLOOD FLOW IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF MAIN DURING VESTIBULAR STIMULATION

This study is an attempt to reveal projection areas for vestibular afferents to the human brain. Changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were measured over 254 cortical regions during caloric vestibular stimulation with warm water (44° C). rCBF was measured when the external auditory meatus was irrigated with water at body temperature as a control to vestibular stimulation. During vestibular stimulation there was only a single cortical area, located in the superior temporal region, which showed a consistent focal activation in the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated side. On the rCBF display this area was located in the superior temporal region posterior to the auditory area, probably in the superior temporal gyrus. It is suggested that this area represents the primary projection area of the vestibular nerve and that it is the activation of this area during caloric stimulation that gives rise to the associated conscious vestibular sensation of vertigo.