Effects of vestibular stimulation in seizure-prone children. An EEG study.

Concern that vestibular stimulation may induce seizures in seizure-prone children has been based on hearsay and unconfirmed clinical impressions of practicing therapists. To clarify this issue, we took electroencephalographic recordings of seizure-prone children before, during, and after specific vestibular stimulation. Ten children with seizure histories, 5, to 15 years of age, were exposed to warm and cold caloric vestibular stimuli. Electroencephalographic activity was recorded before, during, and after each vestibular stimulus; recordings were rated and compared prevestibular and postvestibular stimulation. Electronystagmographic recordings were also taken. Results show that vestibular stimulation does not accentuate the abnormal brain wave pattern in seizure-prone children. Six of 10 subjects had a significant reduction in paroxysmal activity (p less than .02). Possible explanations for clinical reports of vestibular induced seizures are given, with suggestions for precautions when applying vestibular stimulation to seizure-prone children.