Vestibular and Balance Lab

Students who enter Gallaudet’s Vestibular and Balance Lab are treated to innovative technologies and world-class instruction. Highlighted by the Oculus Rift virtual reality system, the lab allows students to investigate challenges individuals face as a result of age, disease, and a variety of influences on the vestibular system.

Current and previous projects include:

• Spatial cognitive functions in deaf older adults, with and without vestibular impairment
• Characteristics of vestibular complaints in deaf adults
• Use of virtual reality goggles to replicate six conditions of sensory organization test (AuD research project)
• Effects of insertion depth of irrigator tip on the magnitude of caloric responses (AuD student project)
• Effects of caffeine abstinence on oculomotor function tests on videonystagmography (AuD student project)
• Effects of gaze direction on amplitude of oVEMP (AuD student project)
• Use of gyroscope to quantify sway magnitude on mCTSIB (AuD student project)
• Virtual reality assessment of visual dependence (PhD student project).

More information about the V&B Lab is online.

Facilities

The V&B Lab shares facilities with the Dizziness and Balance Center for basic clinical equipment such as:

• Videonystagmography
• Electronystagmography
• Video head-impulse test
• Auditory evoked potentials (ABR, VEMP, ECochG)
• Balance Master
• Rotary Chair

In addition, we have space and equipment dedicated for research, including the data analysis room and a test room with an Oculus Rift virtual reality system.

People

The laboratory is directed by Dr. Chizuko Tamaki, AuD.

Collaborators include:

• Dr. Kristen Maul
• Ph.D. students:
  • Daniel Talian, AuD
  • Sarah Sparks, AuD