No Impact of Stochastic Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation on Arterial Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in the Elderly Population

Akiyoshi Matsugi; Koji Nagino; Tomoyuki Shiozaki; Yohei Okada; Nobuhiko Mori; Junji Nakamura; Shinya Douchi; Kosuke Oku; Kiyoshi Nagano; Yoshiki Tamaru

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2021.646127

No Impact of Stochastic Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation on Arterial Pressure and Heart Rate Variability in the Elderly Population

Front Hum Neurosci. 2021 Feb 17:15:646127. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.646127. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Akiyoshi Matsugi¹, Koji Nagino², Tomoyuki Shiozaki³, Yohei Okada^{4

5

6}, Nobuhiko Mori⁷, Junji Nakamura^{4

8}, Shinya Douchi⁹, Kosuke Oku¹⁰, Kiyoshi Nagano¹, Yoshiki Tamaru¹

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Rehabilitation, Shijonawate Gakuen University, Osaka, Japan.
² Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, Osaka, Japan.
³ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan.
⁴ Faculty of Health Science, Kio University, Nara, Japan.
⁵ Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kio University, Nara, Japan.
⁶ Neurorehabilitation Research Center of Kio University, Nara, Japan.
⁷ Department of Neuromodulation and Neurosurgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
⁸ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nishiyamato Rehabilitation Hospital, Nara, Japan.
⁹ Department of Rehabilitation, National Hospital Organization Wakayama Hospital, Wakayama, Japan.
¹⁰ Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Okayama, Japan.

Abstract

Objective: Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation (nGVS) is often used to improve postural stability in disorders, such as neurorehabilitation montage. For the safe use of nGVS, we investigated whether arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate vary during static supine and slow whole-body tilt with random nGVS (0.4 mA, 0.1-640 Hz, gaussian distribution) in a healthy elderly population.

Methods: This study was conducted with a double-blind, sham-controlled, cross-over design. Seventeen healthy older adults were recruited. They were asked to maintain a static supine position on a bed for 10 min, and the bed was tilted up (TU) to 70 degrees within 30 s. After maintaining this position for 3 min, the bed was passively tilted down (TD) within 30 s. Real-nGVS or sham-nGVS was applied from 4 to 15 min. The time course of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and RR interval variability (RRIV) were analyzed to estimate the autonomic nervous activity.

Result: nGVS and/or time, including pre-/post-event (nGVS-start, TU, and TD), had no impact on MAP and RRIV-related parameters. Further, there was no evidence supporting the argument that nGVS induces pain, vertigo/dizziness, and uncomfortable feeling.

Conclusion: nGVS may not affect the AP and RRIV during static position and whole-body tilting or cause pain, vertigo/dizziness, and discomfort in the elderly.

Keywords: RR interval variability; arterial pressure; galvanic vestibular stimulation; heart rate variability; stochastic resonance; whole-body tilting.