Relationship Between Visual Field and Body Sway with Concentrically Moving Multi-spotlights Stimulation

Abstract

The relationship between visual field and body sway was investigated by using a concentrically moving multi-spotlights stimulator, a body sway recording system and a minicomputer in the following four groups: the normal subject group, the patient group with peripheral vestibular disorders, the patient group with central vestibular disorders and the patient group with cervical disorders.
The patient group with peripheral vestibular disor d ers showed such characteristics of body sway as more predominant head movement than that of the center of gravity, an irregular increase of the body sway with stimulation velocity in the composite and peripheral visual fields, reduced dispersion in the distribution of body sway velocity with foveal stimulation, and an increase of averaged divisional frequencies, sometimes accompanying peak formation on the frequency spectrum of the body sway.
The body sway test with the newly devised visual stimulation seems to have a possibility to differentiate the peripheral vestibular lesions from the other vertiginous or ataxic disorders of unknown origins, and to make topographic diagnosis.