Head-Mounted Vibrotactile Prosthesis for Patients With Chronic Postural Instability

The goal of this project is to provide individuals that have a balance deficit with a device that will give them signals that they can feel (vibrations) in order to help them maintain a correct sense of balance and perception of place in the environment.

This proposal addresses a National Institute on Deafness and Other communication Disorders (NIDCD) research topic that emphasizes the "development of assistive devices for balance disorders". The proposed work will evaluate the assistive efficacy of such a balance prosthesis in a population of chronic imbalance patients spanning a wide range of disease etiologies.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ambulatory patients who have had chronic imbalance for at least one year, and have reached a functional performance plateau with respect to their balance adaptation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological disorders other than chronic balance disorders, as determined by medical history and neurological screening procedure.
• Any medical condition as determined by the health questionnaire that would interfere with performance on the postural stability evaluation tests.
• Peripheral neuropathies of the lower extremities.
• Subjects who are unwilling or unable to adhere to all study requirements, including completion of the training period, evaluation tests, and return to clinic for a follow-up visit.