Chapter 6 The parietal lobe and the vestibular system

Publication date: 2018 Source:Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Volume 151 Author(s): Marianne Dieterich, Thomas Brandt The vestibular cortex differs in various ways from other sensory cortices. It consists of a network of several distinct and separate temporoparietal areas. Its core region, the parietoinsular vestibular cortex (PIVC), is located in the posterior insula and retroinsular region and includes the parietal operculum. The entire network is multisensory (in particular, vestibular, visual, and somatosensory). The peripheral and central vestibular systems are bilaterally organized; there are various pontomesencephalic brainstem crossings and at least two transcallosal connections of both hemispheres, between the PIVC and the motion-sensitive visual cortex areas, which also mediate vestibular input. Structural and functional vestibular dominance characterizes the right hemisphere in right-handers and the left hemisphere in left-handers. This explains why right-hemispheric lesions in right-handers more often generally cause hemispatial neglect and the pusher syndrome, both of which involve vestibular function. Vestibular input also contributes to cognition and may determine individual lateralization of brain functions such as handedness. Bilateral organization is a major key to understanding cortical functions and disorders, for example, the visual–vestibular interaction that occurs in spatial orientation. Although the vestibular cortex is represented in both hemis...

Source: Handbook of Clinical Neurology - March 7, 2018 Category: Neurology Source Type: research