Recordability of the vestibular cerebellar evoked potential

Vestibular cerebellar evoked potentials (VsCEPs) are short-latency, vestibular-dependent responses recorded from electrodes placed superficially near the cerebellum. This study aimed to replicate previous findings and further explore optimal recording parameters for air-conducted VsCEPs.
Responses were collected similarly to previous investigations for comparability. Two reference electrode locations (nose and contralateral earlobe) were compared.
VsCEPs were measured in 15 healthy individuals without prior history of otologic or neurological impairment (mean age = 24.7; sd = 3.8, 2 male).
We report a response rate that never exceeded 60%. Responses were most often present over the posterior scalp contralateral to the stimulated ear. A small but significant latency difference was found between reference locations. Larger amplitudes were observed over midline and contralateral areas for the left ear only. There was no difference in amplitude between reference locations.
The low recordability and high inter-subject variability suggests VsCEPs are not yet suitable for clinical application. However, results should be treated with caution as the stimulus level used in the current study was lower than previous investigations. Thus, we may be below the response threshold of subjects. Future investigations should explore other parameters to improve recordability and stability of VsCEPs.

前庭小脑诱发电位（Vestibular cerebellar evoked potentials, VsCEPs）是一种短潜伏期、依赖前庭系统的神经反应，通过置于小脑浅表位置的电极记录得到。本研究旨在复现既往研究结果，并进一步探索气导式前庭小脑诱发电位的最优记录参数。为保证研究间的可比性，本次研究的数据收集流程与既往研究保持一致。本次研究对比了两种参考电极放置位置：鼻部与刺激耳对侧的耳垂。本研究纳入15名无耳部或神经系统疾病既往史的健康受试者，平均年龄为24.7岁，标准差为3.8岁，其中男性2名。本次研究记录到的诱发电位应答率从未超过60%。应答信号最常出现在刺激耳对侧的后头皮区域。不同参考电极位置之间存在微小但具有统计学意义的潜伏期差异。仅在左侧耳刺激时，中线区域及对侧区域的诱发电位振幅更大。不同参考电极位置之间的振幅无显著差异。前庭小脑诱发电位的可记录率较低且受试者间变异性较高，提示其目前尚不适合应用于临床场景。但由于本次研究使用的刺激强度低于既往研究，因此对本研究结果需谨慎解读，这意味着我们可能未达到受试者的应答阈值。未来的研究应探索其他参数以提升前庭小脑诱发电位的可记录率与信号稳定性。