Cognitive Disturbances

The vestibular system is closely linked to parts of the brain involved with absorbing and interpreting information, including mental functions such as planning, sequencing, attention, and concentration. It is also responsible for controlling eye movements and maintaining a steady gaze. Because of these connections, people with vestibular disorders commonly experience cognitive disturbances such as:

• Decreased mental stamina: Prolonged concentration becomes more difficult or impossible. People accustomed to spending uninterrupted hours on a task at work or at home suddenly find that they need frequent breaks.
• Difficulty reading: Text in printed matter or on a computer monitor often appears to bounce or blur.
• Difficulty with memory: One of the most common and troubling dysfunctions is the struggle to take in new information, store it into long-term memory, and retrieve it later.
• Decreased ability to track multiple processes: Rapid shifts of attention, such as those required when driving a car, are more difficult.
• Difficulty handling sequences: Words and syllables get mixed up, letters and numbers are transposed, and conversations and stories are harder to follow.
• Difficulty with large concepts and uncertainty: Integrating small details into a larger picture is more challenging, and people often feel a frustrating lack of closure. All the pieces are there, but can’t be put together.

People with vestibular disorders may have little or no difficulty with such tasks except when fatigued or in a busy environment. The fluctuating nature of these symptoms makes it difficult for standard neuro-psychological tests to assess the degree of difficulty people experience in day-to-day living.

VEDA has interviewed a social worker, neuropsychologist, and otolaryngologist about this important subject. Comments from these interviews are available in our free publication:

     Observations on Cognitive and Psychological Aspects of Vestibular Disorders.