Role of Auditory Information in Motor Control of the Balance System in Patients with Cochlear Implants

Abstract

Review of publications of our group about the relationship between the auditory input and the balance motor
control in subjects with profound hearing loss and cochlear implant users (UIC). A population of 34 UIC in which posturography in two different sensory information was performed, 1-Implant turned on (ON) giving
acoustic information. 2-Implant turned off (OFF) and without auditory input. Energy consumption (CE) of
the body center of pressure signal was used as measurement. Gait assessment was analyzed by the 10 m test,
implemented with: A- Implant turned ON and environmental noise (EN). B- Implant ON, EN and cognitive
dual task (DT) and C- Implant OFF with accelerometers in the feet and sacrum region to measure the gait
velocity (GV).
Statistics: Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test were used and significance level was p=0.05. Posture analysis
for different ages in adolescence showed an adaptive adjustment, decreasing the EC significantly when the CI
is ON (p<0.05). With the implant turned OFF, changes were not significant (p>0.05). In adults, (implant OFF)
had higher values of CE related with age, while the CE did not show increment of CE with age when receiving
auditory input with the implant ON. UIC implanted after being 3 years old showed a significant decrease in
GV. The UIC implanted before this age showed similar gait behavior compared to normal hearing subjects as
control. The auditory information intervenes in posture and gait motor behavior, facts which are analyzed in
this review.