# VESTIBULO-OCULAR FUNCTION IN THE ELDERLY

> **NIH NIH R01** · EYE AND EAR INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH · 1992 · $103,804

## Abstract

The long-term goal of this project is to gain an improved understanding
of the influence of aging on balance function so that elderly persons
with disequilibrium can be managed more effectively.  Because balance
function is known to depend in large part on both visual and vestibular
function, this study will evaluate the effect of aging on a well
established vestibulo-ocular phenomenon, velocity storage.  Elderly
persons will be tested to assess the vestibulo-ocular and visuo-ocular
reflexes including responses of both the semicircular canals and otolith
organs of the vestibular system and the response to moving visual
stimuli.  The specific aims of this study are to test several hypotheses
that pertain to the effect of aging on velocity storage.  The
vestibulo-ocular and visuo-ocular reflexes of young adults will be tested
for comparison to the responses of the elderly individuals.  Vestibular
stimulation will be accomplished using computer controlled rotation about
an earth vertical axis and about an off-vertical axis.  Visual stimuli
will include precise movements of full-field optokinetic stripes.
Several pairwise interactions of the vestibular and visual stimuli will
be recorded to evaluate "charging" and "dumping" of velocity storage.
The information provided from this study will improve our understanding
of the effect of the aging process on vestibular function and will have
implications regarding sensory-motor transformation and sensory-sensory
interactions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3121972
- **Project number:** 5R01AG010009-02
- **Recipient organization:** EYE AND EAR INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph M Furman
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1992
- **Award amount:** $103,804
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1991-08-02 → 1996-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3121972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3121972, VESTIBULO-OCULAR FUNCTION IN THE ELDERLY (5R01AG010009-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3121972. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*