Structural changes in a ballerina's brain due to years of training help her stay balanced in the pirouette, says a report that may aid the treatment of chronic dizziness.
Dizziness - Symptom Evaluation
The different types of dizziness can be differentiated based on clinical symptoms and tests conducted on the patients.
The different types of dizziness can be differentiated based on clinical symptoms and tests conducted on the patients.
This is because of the fluid-filled chambers of the ear's balance organs, which sense the rotation of the head through tiny hairs that perceive the fluid swishing about. The fluid continues to move for a while after the spin -- which creates the perception that one is moving when still -- hence the dizziness.
Ballet dancers can perform multiple pirouettes with little or no feeling of dizziness -- a feat that has long puzzled researchers.
Vertigo / Dizziness - Causes - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQ
Vertigo is a common symptom of any disorder of brain or inner ear. It may be accompanied by vomiting and sweating. Inner ear involvement can cause deafness.
Vertigo is a common symptom of any disorder of brain or inner ear. It may be accompanied by vomiting and sweating. Inner ear involvement can cause deafness.
"Ballet dancers seem to be able to train themselves not to get dizzy, so we wondered whether we could use the same principles to help our patients," Barry Seemungal from Imperial College London's medicine department said in a statement on the study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
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Low Blood Pressure | Hypotension
If your blood pressure is persistently less than 90/60 mm Hg you are suffering from Low blood pressure or Hypotension.
If your blood pressure is persistently less than 90/60 mm Hg you are suffering from Low blood pressure or Hypotension.
The women were asked to turn a lever on a small wheel attached to their chair in rhythm with the spinning sensation they experienced after the chair was brought to a halt.
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Brilliant Human Brain
The most amazing and complex organ in the entire universe, the human brain continues to remain an enigma.
The most amazing and complex organ in the entire universe, the human brain continues to remain an enigma.
The researchers also looked at the women's brains with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans.
They found that the part of the cerebellum which processes the signal from the balancing organs, was smaller in the dancers. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that governs body movement.
"It's not useful for a ballet dancer to feel dizzy or off balance," said Seemungal. "Their brains adapt over years of training to suppress that input" -- allowing them to continue dancing after spinning around in a pirouette and complete a performance without losing their balance.
"If we can target that same brain area or monitor it in patients with chronic dizziness, we can begin to understand how to treat them better."
About one in four people suffer chronic dizziness at some time in their lives, said the researcher.
Source-AFP
