What is the vestibular apparatus formed from? How is the vestibular apparatus arranged?

Since the man has risen to his feet, he maintains a vertical posture thanks to various sensory systems that send information about the environment and the position of the body in the brain to the brain. Vestibular apparatus is one of the main sources of providing the brain with such information.

Sense of balance

In the inner ear a special organ is hidden, which constantly registers the position and movement of the human body, helping to maintain balance. How terrible is the sense of loss of balance, anyone who has suffered a seasickness or has been riding for too long on the carousel knows. The world begins to stagger and rotate, and nothing can be done - it remains only to lie down and wait until everything falls into place. The vestibular apparatus indicates how the body is oriented relative to the gravity vector. Usually - down. On the ship or the carousel - it's different. So the vestibular apparatus is formed: the more the rolling or the rotation, the more the disorientation. Under such conditions, closing his eyes, a person can not determine his position in space. In this case, vision helps.

How is the vestibular apparatus arranged?

The organ of a sense of balance is located in the upper part of the labyrinth of the inner ear. The vestibular apparatus is formed by a cochlea and two semicircular canals filled with liquid. During the reeling, the fluid irritates the nerve endings and causes seasickness. The vestibular apparatus is formed by the vestibule of the inner ear in the depth of the temporal bone and consists of a system filled with viscous endolymph of the cavities - semicircular canals, spherical and elliptical sacs. Their receptors are hair cells with sensitive cilia.

The vestibular apparatus is formed from semicircular canals, which are located in three mutually perpendicular planes. Cilia in them react to the movements of the head - the slopes and turns. This tells the brain of a potential imbalance. Hair cells of pouches are informed every moment about the position of the head relative to the vector of gravity, and hence the stability of the body as a whole.

Perception of head movements

The vestibular apparatus is formed from three gel-like caps covering the receptors, in this case hair cells with cilia and immersed in a viscous liquid - endolymph. When the head moves, the endolymph flows away from these caps and presses on them. Deformed, they move the cilia, and this excites a nerve signal, which is deciphered by the brain as a turn or tilt in some plane.

Perception of gravity

The vestibular apparatus is formed in such a way that the remaining groups of hair cells in it are covered with two mutually perpendicular gel-like pillows called maculae, with millions of crystals of calcium carbonate (otoliths). At any time, under the influence of gravity, at least one macula is deformed. This shifts the cilia, exciting a nervous signal that tells the brain about the position of the head.

How does the equilibrium work?

With sufficient loosening, the equilibrium body is subjected to vibrational loads, from which a person loses balance and stability. Some suffer from seasickness in the airplane, others - while traveling by car. Its manifestation can be eliminated by the use of drugs. It is interesting that even in invertebrates, including jellyfish, the vestibular apparatus is formed. The answers to the question, in what form, are simple. Peculiar organs of equilibrium are auditory vesicles with granules that press on the cilia of hair cells. With changes in the position of the body, this pressure changes, generating a signal perceived by the nervous system.

Until the sense of balance is lost, a person does not think about its nature, how the vestibular apparatus is arranged, and this is one of the main factors of the physical form. Stability is vitally important in the elderly, when joints wear out, and the fragility of bones increases. Preservation of balance is the result of a joint action: the eye, the vestibular apparatus and special receptors in the muscles and joints. With age, all these functions weaken, and reflexes slow down. In addition, the sense of balance is affected by age-related diseases, as well as side effects of certain drugs. As a result, after 65 years, the risk of injury increases because of the weakened sense of balance.

Symptoms in diseases of the vestibular apparatus

• dizziness;
• Vomiting;
• nausea;
• A changed complexion;
• Violation of coordination and balance;
• Profuse sweating.

Diseases caused by a disturbance of the balance organ

Diseases of the vestibular apparatus have similar symptoms, but different degrees of danger and complexity.

1. Vestibular neuritis. One of the most common diseases occurs as a result of infection. There are symptoms: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, which last 3-4 days, after which they disappear, but the cure comes only after a month. Older people can last a couple of months.
2. Syndrome of vertebral-basilar insufficiency. Occurs in parallel with diseases of the cardiovascular system, often occurs after 60 years, may be the result of a stroke, hearing problems, vestibular nerve. In this case, nausea, vomiting, imbalance, poor coordination, incoherent speech, visual perception are possible. Usually the syndrome lasts a short time, but if these symptoms occur frequently, hospitalization and a thorough examination of the body are necessary.
3. Occlusion of the auditory artery. The peculiarity is that it appears together with the problems of blood supply to the brain, which leads to cerebellar stroke and a heart attack. Severe vertigo, impaired coordination, deafness - these are signs of dangerous pathologies of the vestibular apparatus, in which urgent medical attention should be called.
4. Chronic vestibulopathy. Occurs in the background of drug intoxication. Symptoms - dizziness, nausea, weakening of resistance.
5. Manger syndrome is the most common disease of the inner ear. Symptoms - increasing dizziness, hearing impairment, noise and stuffiness in the ear. Without treatment, it can lead to deafness.
6. Ear diseases: otosclerosis, sulfur plug, diseases of the auditory tube, acute otitis media. Basilar migraine, for which there are dizziness attacks, motion sickness in transport.
7. Epilepsy with dizziness, nausea, impaired consciousness and hallucinations. Tumor of the cerebellar angle. With it, there is a decrease in hearing, coordination of movement. Multiple sclerosis. There is dizziness of a special degree and nausea. When symptoms of a disturbance of the vestibular apparatus manifest themselves, compulsory diagnostics of the doctor before the beginning of treatment.

How to strengthen the equilibrium body

The development of the vestibular apparatus begins in the prenatal period, when the child swings at the mother's abdomen. Therefore, it is so soothingly the swinging of the baby on his hands, thereby forming a basic sense of balance. It helps the child to take the first steps.

Then a good training is given to the child on a swing, jumping on a trampoline or riding a bicycle. Throughout life, a person, actively moving, trains his body of balance. Nevertheless, valuable is the fact that the vestibular apparatus is formed in such a way that it lends itself to training even in old age. Training of the vestibular apparatus is performed with any movements, since any activity requires good stability. Therefore, it is so important to perform exercises that improve balance at any age. Very useful dance, because they learn to watch your body, gymnastics in the form of yoga, pilates, tai chi.

Perform exercises should be slow, always near the support. Very useful in the pool.

Complex exercises for training.

1. Slow slopes to the sides - 5 times each.
2. Rotation with legs 10 times right and left with support and without it.
3. Standing in turn on one leg, starting at 8 seconds for each limb.
4. Walking along one line of 10 steps forward, then turning around in the opposite direction. Walking on tiptoe with hands over your head.
5. Balancing, classes with a fitness ball.