What We Study
The goal of the Vestibular and Balance Laboratory is to understand the developmental impact of vestibular loss in children. There is growing evidence for a link between vestibular loss, motor function impairment, and cognitive functions such as visuo-spatial processing in adults, but little is known about these links in children, or the role of developmental factors in shaping the consequences of vestibular loss. Many children with hearing loss also have vestibular loss. However, little or no attention is currently being directed toward the assessment and habilitation of vestibular disorders in children despite the potential long-term consequences related to vestibular loss.
Research in our lab has focused on:
- The prevalence of vestibular loss in children with cochlear implants, who are at an increased risk for vestibular loss.
- The relationship between vestibular loss and functional consequences, such as gross motor development and visual acuity.
- Safe, and effective methods of vestibular testing.
- The ability of hearing loss severity and motor function outcomes to predict the presence of vestibular loss.
Facilities
The Vestibular and Balance Laboratory consists of the following major equipment:
- Video Head Impulse Test
- Rotary Chair with Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) and manual, lateral off-axis rotation capability
- Bertec portable force plate
- Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA)
- Gaze Stabilization Test (GST)
- Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (c- and oVEMP) Testing
Additionally, Boys Town National Research Hospital provides clinical vestibular assessments at the Downtown Clinic and at Boys Town National Research Hospital on 139th and Pacific. Learn more at the link below.
Collaborators
- Gabrielle Merchant, Au.D., Ph.D., Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception Laboratory
- Yesha Lundberg, Ph.D., Vestibular Genetics Laboratory
External Collaborators
- Amanda Rodriguez, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Julie Honaker, Ph.D., Cleveland Clinic
- Jennifer Braswell Christy, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Professional Organizations
- American Balance Society
- American Academy of Audiology
- American Speech Language Hearing Association
- The Bárány Society
