Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation to mitigate episodic Vertigo

Project Summary/Abstract Ménière's disease (MD), a debilitating condition characterized by episodic attacks of vertigo, affects approximately 600,000-750,000 individuals in the United States. These attacks can greatly affect quality of life, inhibiting MD patients from performing many daily activities and increasing the risk of injury from falls. Due to the unclear etiology of the disease and a lack of consistently effective methods of treatment, many are left without a long-term solution for the episodic vertigo resulting from MD, even after individualized medical and surgical treatment. Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) is a novel technology that has shown promise in its ability to treat vertigo and other forms of vestibular dysfunction. GVS involves the application of an electrical current to the vestibular apparatus via non-invasive skin-contact electrodes, and it has been demonstrated to be effective in controlling vestibular function via inducing or suppressing a perception of motion as needed. In this proposal, Vivonics seeks to utilize its previous GVS research results to develop an effective, easy-to-use, portable GVS device that can counteract episodes of vertigo in MD patients. A compact GVS system designed to modulate the vestibular ocular reflex will be developed at Vivonics. The system will then be tested on healthy subjects at the University of Michigan Health Center. Vertigo will be induced in subjects via caloric stimulation. The GVS apparatus will be connected to the subject, and either a control (no electrical stimulation) or treatment (electrical stimulation) condition will be applied randomly. After a recovery period, the experimental setup will be reset, and the other GVS condition (stimulation or no stimulation) will be applied. The effects of the GVS application on the patient's perception of motion will be measured by the presence and extent of nystagmus and the patient's perceived motion as measured by a virtual avatar. The short-term effect of this study will be a demonstration of the feasibility and effectiveness of GVS in suppressing vertigo. The long-term effect will be the development of a portable, wearable device for treating episodic vertigo that MD patients can wear to allow them to resume their activities of daily living while reducing the risks associated with unexpected vertigo attacks, improving their physical and mental health and overall quality of life.