Mathematical Modelling: A Contribution to Clinical Vestibular Analysis

Abstract

A model of the vestibulo-ocular system used by the authors to explain mathematically some peculiarities of the nystagmus patterns and general phenomena such as vestibular Actaptation and secondary nystagmus is illustrated after a brief revue of the current status of vestibular modelling. The model has been implemented on a digital computer, and several rotational tests have been simulated. By comparing the experimental data obtained from young healthy subjects with the model predictions, it has been possible to define the model parameters quantitatively. The results of these investigations are reported in this paper. Finally, a method for an automatic analysis of the vestibular function from E.N.G. data recorded during post-rotational tests is discussed in the concluding section.