Beyond VOR gain: the functional head impulse test as a probe of multisensory integration and gaze stabilization
Stefano Ramat, Bruna Maria Vittoria Guerra, Marco Mandalà · 2026
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Description
Stefano Ramat, Bruna Maria Vittoria Guerra, and Marco Mandalà argue that a functional head impulse test tells more about balance than the standard video test. The standard test infers steady gaze from eye speed during quick head turns. The functional test instead flashes letters during the turn and counts how many a person reads correctly. Its protocol shows each letter for 80 milliseconds at peak head speed across a wide range of strengths.
Clinic data show the two tests often disagree. In inner-ear disease, reading success hinges on corrective eye jumps landing inside the brief display window. In vestibular migraine, added visual motion can expose failures the speed test misses. In older people, functional scores tracked balance scores and predicted fall risk, and a second task lowered them further. The authors frame gaze control in three levels, from reflex mechanics to central signal gating.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Stefano Ramat, Bruna Maria Vittoria Guerra, Marco Mandalà |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 50 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |