Vestibular implant to improve thinking, navigation, and balance after inner-ear damage
Official title: Vestibular implant tested in patients with peripheral vestibular damage: effects on spatial orientation, navigation, and neuropsychologic function
Funded at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary · NIH-11371741 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A vestibular implant is being offered to people with severe inner-ear balance damage to help improve thinking, spatial orientation, and navigation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $112,008 |
| NIH project number | 3R01DC021981-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371741 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with severe, often bilateral, peripheral vestibular damage who experience balance-related cognitive problems and are eligible for implant surgery.
✕Less likely to help
People with only mild vestibular impairment, cognitive problems from non-vestibular causes, or who cannot undergo surgery may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
If you join, doctors will implant a device that senses your head’s motion in three dimensions and delivers long-term stimulation to the balance nerves. You will take part in tests of spatial orientation, navigation, memory, and other thinking skills while the team tracks how stimulation affects those abilities. The researchers will also follow people with varying degrees of vestibular loss who do not get the implant to compare outcomes. The goal is to see whether prosthetic vestibular signals can reduce cognitive problems caused by severe peripheral vestibular damage and to better understand how balance input supports thinking.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the implant could improve memory, spatial navigation, and daily function for people with severe vestibular loss.
How similar studies have gone: Prior vestibular implant and prosthesis work has improved eye movements, balance, and gait, but using implants specifically to improve cognition is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lewis, Richard F — Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Study coordinator: Lewis, Richard F
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.