The sensation of moving in slow motion or feeling locked like a ‘statue’ often stems from a fundamental timing failure within the body’s fastest reflex. For vestibular professionals and patients alike, success in the clinic requires moving beyond simple exercise execution into a deep understanding of the underlying biology. When the ‘5 ms’ timing of the Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) falters, the brain adopts a maladaptive sensory strategy, trading fluidity for rigid stability.
In this session, we explore the intricate relationship between the VOR and its critical backup, the Velocity Storage Integrator (VSI). We examine how a ‘leaky battery’ in the neural microenvironment leads to profound exhaustion and why the brain defaults to a high-effort visual dependency. By understanding how to ‘Coordinate’ and ‘Support’ the ‘Signaling’ of these pathways, we can help the brain move away from manual control and toward a more automated, efficient state of balance.
