𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘂𝗺’𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀/𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗼

Patients with dizziness or vertigo often get their ears checked by an ENT to find signs of peripheral vestibular problems like BPPV or a damaged vestibular nerve.⁣
⁣
An underappreciated problem with dizziness can be problems of the central nervous system. When doctors look for central causes of dizziness, they’re often searching for emergency issues like a posterior circulation stroke. A common central cause of dizziness is when the 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙪𝙢 is affected.⁣
⁣
The cerebellum is a chunk of brain that sits in the lower back part of the skull. It plays a massive role in standing balance and accuracy of movement.⁣

⁣
While a stroke is well known to cause dizziness and balance issues through the cerebellum, other problems can trigger cerebellar problems as well. This can include:⁣
⁣
• #concussion/#tbi⁣
• Multiple sclerosis⁣
• Celiac’s Disease and other autoimmunity⁣
• Inherited degenerative disorders of the cerebellum (Friedrich’s ataxia and other SCAs)⁣
⁣
Then there are functional neurological problems affecting the connections of the cerebellum which often go undiagnosed. This can come from a previous acute vestibular attack or problems weighting the sensory system as a whole.⁣
⁣
When patients are dizzy, if there is no obvious diagnostic vestibular finding, we will often see that these patients may show abnormal findings on a bedside cerebellar exam.⁣

⁣
Fortunately, these patients can respond well and sometimes quickly with some cerebellar targeted rehab strategies, which we will show an example later this week.⁣
⁣
#neuroscience #neuroplasticity #vertigo