Aging of the Human Vestibular System: A Review of the Epidemiology, Histology & Clinical Findings (0.3 CEUs/Tier 1)

Recorded On: 09/16/2016

Aging of the Human Vestibular System: A Review of the Epidemiology, Histology & Clinical Findings (.3 CEUs/Tier 1)

Friday, September 16, 2016; 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET

Presenter: Presented by Chris Zalewski, PhD, FAAA

CEUs: .3/Tier 1

Duration: 3 hour

Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in the topic of aging and its' effect on the vestibular system and balance function. A fundamental understanding of the various clinical results from vestibular testing is highly recommended for this presentation. Specific vestibular test results will be reviewed (from various journal manuscripts) as they relate to age. However, an adequate knowledge of the individual clinical test results (e.g. VOR gain, VOR phase, VEMP amplitude, etc.) will greatly facilitate one's understanding of this presentation, as little, if any, time will be devoted to detailing the various response parameters obtained from each vestibular test.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Program Focus: Knowledge

Learner Outcomes: Upon completion, each participant in the eAudiology Web seminar will be able to:

1) Discuss the epidemiology of falls and dizziness in the elderly

2) Discuss the histology associated with aging of the vestibular system

3) Discuss the clinical findings associated with an aging vestibular system

4) Discuss the possible reasons for a lack of correlational evidence between histology and clinical vestibular findings

Description: This online seminar is a review of the literature discussing the epidemiology of falls and dizziness, the histology of the aging vestibular system, and the clinical findings associated with aging of the vestibular system. This presentation will highlight and coalesce the available literature spanning this topic to provide the attendee with a greater understanding of the deleterious impact aging has on the peripheral and central vestibular systems. Often, there is a distinct lack of clinical evidence that effectively segregates or identifies an aging vestibular phenotype. In fact, only weak correlational evidence exists between clinical results in the elderly and histological evidence identifying a distinct decline in vestibular sensory cells. Only when highlighting the epidemiology of falls in the aging population does one begin to appreciate the significant associations between advanced age balance dysfunction. Possible reasons for the lack of a distinct clinical aging vestibular phenotype will be discussed.

Chris Zalewski, PhD, FAAA

Clinical Research Audiologist

Dr. Zalewski received his undergraduate from The Pennsylvania State University, his Masters in Audiology from The University of Maryland, and his Ph.D. in Audiology from Gallaudet University. He has served as a clinical research audiologist with the National Institutes on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2002. Chris has also maintained a regular adjunct faculty appointment at the University of Maryland since 2000. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Balance Society as well as the American Academy of Audiology. His primary interests are in vestibular physiology and balance disorders, with an emphasis on rotational testing, otolith assessment, and the investigation of the auditory and vestibular phenotypes of rare genetic diseases and syndromes. In addition, Chris also has a personal interest in the historical perspectives of medicine and, in particular, vestibular science.