How aging changes balance signals from the inner ear
Official title: Nonlinearities in Human Vestibular Reflexes
Funded at James Madison University · NIH-11167774 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at new recordings of inner-ear reflex signals in adults to understand how aging changes balance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | James Madison University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Harrisonburg, United States) |
| Project start | August 12, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $370,943 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021684-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11167774 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults age 21 and older, especially those with balance complaints or concern about age-related balance decline, are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21 or those whose dizziness or falls are clearly due to non-vestibular causes (for example, purely neurological or orthopedic problems) are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You would come to James Madison University for noninvasive recordings of tiny electrical responses from neck and eye muscles called cVEMPs and oVEMPs while the researchers use gentle vestibular stimulation. The team will use new stimulation and recording methods designed to reveal nonlinear features of these reflexes that haven't been measured in humans before. They will compare results across younger, middle-aged, and older adults and relate the recordings to simple balance tests. The hope is to link specific signal patterns with better or worse balance function.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better diagnosis and rehabilitation approaches for age-related balance problems by revealing new biomarkers of vestibular function.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have measured VEMPs in humans, but using these novel methods to detect nonlinear features in human vestibular reflexes is largely new and untested.
Where this research is happening
-
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Piker, Erin G — James Madison University
- Study coordinator: Piker, Erin G
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.