To determine whether moderate cognitive load alters horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain during the video head impulse test (vHIT) and to evaluate the reliability of vHIT under dual-task conditions.
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Moderate cognitive dual-tasking does not confound horizontal vHIT gain measurements, supporting the robustness of vHIT in routine clinical settings without special cognitive controls.
Confirming vHIT gain stability under cognitive load strengthens confidence in the test's validity when performed in real-world clinical environments where patients may not be fully focused.
- 01Horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain during vHIT was not significantly altered by moderate cognitive load.
- 02A single-distance dual-task paradigm was used to simultaneously measure VOR gain and cognitive performance.
- 03Results suggest vHIT gain is a robust measure resistant to attentional interference.
- 04Findings support standard clinical administration of vHIT without requiring strict cognitive isolation.
- 05Study design was single-distance, so generalizability to other paradigms requires further study.
Moderate cognitive load does not significantly alter horizontal vHIT gain in healthy participants.
studysupported- PMID
- 42507200
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00405-026-10399-2.
- Journal
- European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 3
- Population
- Participants undergoing horizontal video head impulse testing under single and dual-task conditions
- Intervention
- Moderate cognitive dual-task during horizontal vHIT
- Comparator
- vHIT performed without cognitive load
Primary outcomes
Horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain under cognitive load vs. no load