Vestibular recovery and central compensation after acute unilateral vestibulopathy - changes in saccadic response patterns and gains over time

Acute unilateral vestibulopathy (AUVP), or vestibular neuritis, disrupts the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), leading to impaired gaze stability during head movements. Vestibular function typically recovers to some extent. However, if recovery is incomplete, corrective eye saccades must compensate for the deficient VOR function....

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

The longitudinal saccadic and VOR gain data may help clinicians better time vestibular assessments and rehabilitation milestones after acute unilateral vestibulopathy, but practice changes should await replication in larger samples.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Characterising the timeline of central vestibular compensation informs when rehabilitation is most effective and helps identify patients at risk of incomplete recovery.

✦ Key Points ✦

01Longitudinal design tracks saccadic response patterns and VOR gains after acute unilateral vestibulopathy.
02Findings characterise the time course of both peripheral vestibular recovery and central compensation.
03Changes in saccadic patterns serve as objective markers of compensation progress.
04Data could guide optimal timing of vestibular function testing and rehabilitation initiation.
05Sample size and follow-up duration not reported in the abstract; limits definitive conclusions.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Saccadic response patterns and VOR gains change systematically over time following acute unilateral vestibulopathy.

studypartially supported

Central compensation mechanisms can be tracked objectively using saccadic metrics.

studypartially supported

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42111065
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1832160.
Journal: Frontiers in Neurology
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 2b
Population: Patients with acute unilateral vestibulopathy followed longitudinally
Intervention: Longitudinal observation of vestibular recovery (no active intervention reported)

Primary outcomes

Saccadic response pattern changes over time; Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain changes over time

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