Eric X. Wei*, Esther S. Oh, Aisha Harun, Matthew Ehrenburg, Qian-Li Xue, Eleanor Simonsick and Yuri Agrawal Pages 1143 - 1150 ( 8 )
<P>Background/Aims: Recent evidence has shown that Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients have reduced vestibular function relative to healthy controls. In this study, we evaluated whether patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) also have reduced vestibular function relative to controls, and compared the level of vestibular impairment between MCI and AD patients. </P><P> Methods: Vestibular physiologic function was assessed in 77 patients (26 MCI, 51 AD) and 295 matched controls using 3 clinical vestibular tests. The association between vestibular loss and cognitive impairment was evaluated using conditional logistic regression models. </P><P> Results: Individuals with vestibular impairment had a 3 to 4-fold increased odds of being in the MCI vs. control group (p-values < 0.05). MCI patients had a level of vestibular impairment that was intermediate between controls and AD. </P><P> Conclusion: These findings suggest a dose-response relationship between vestibular loss and cognitive status, and support the hypothesis that vestibular loss contributes to cognitive decline.</P>
Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, vestibular system, vestibular function tests, aging.
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 5200 Eastern Ave, Seventh Floor, Baltimore, MD 21224, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 2024 E. Monument Street, Suite 2-722, Baltimore, MD 21205, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 3001 S. Hanover Street, 5th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21225, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 601 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287