There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
The present study evaluated the effectiveness of electrotactile tongue biofeedback
(BrainPort((R))) as a sensory substitute for the vestibular apparatus in patients
with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) who did not have a good response to conventional
vestibular rehabilitation (VR). Seven patients with BVL were trained to use the device.
Stimulation on the surface of the tongue was created by a dynamic pattern of electrical
pulses and the patient was able to adjust the intensity of stimulation and spatially
centralize the stimulus on the electrode array. Patients were directed to continuously
adjust head orientation and to maintain the stimulus pattern at the center of the
array. Postural tasks that present progressive difficulties were given during the
use of the device. Pre- and post-treatment distribution of the sensory organization
test (SOT) composite score showed an average value of 38.3+/-8.7 and 59.9+/-11.3,
respectively, indicating a statistically significant improvement (p=0.01). Electrotactile
tongue biofeedback significantly improved the postural control of the study group,
even if they had not improved with conventional VR. The electrotactile tongue biofeedback
system was able to supply additional information about head position with respect
to gravitational vertical orientation in the absence of vestibular input, improving
postural control. Patients with BVL can integrate electrotactile information in their
postural control in order to improve stability after conventional VR. These results
were obtained and verified not only by the subjective questionnaire but also by the
SOT composite score. The limitations of the study are the small sample size and short
duration of the follow-up. The current findings show that the sensory substitution
mediated by electrotactile tongue biofeedback may contribute to the improved balance
experienced by these patients compared to VR.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.