Nonpharmacological therapy of vertigo and balance disorder by means of the OCULOSTIM hardware-software complex

A new computerized method for the correction and inhibition of unfavorable illusory (vertigo), vestibular-oculomotor (nystagmus), and vestibular-postural (balance) responses is proposed for teaching subjects to block generalization of an afferent signal to the effector mechanisms of the central nervous system by developing a fixation reflex with the employment of delayed feedback for self-testing. Three variants of this method were used, depending on the type of stimulation programs aimed at the induction of illusory and oculomotor responses of a certain sensory modality (visual, vestibular, or combined). The study was carried out in 36 subjects divided into three equal groups taught using visual, vestibular, and combined techniques. Each group included patients with vestibulopathies of organic (peripheral and central origin) and psychic genesis. Comparative analysis of the teaching efficiency for the three versions of the method showed that the visual, vestibular, and combined variants of correction were the most efficient for patients with peripheral, central, and psychogenic vestibulopathies, respectively.