What causes the spinning sensation of vertigo?
UCI Health expert says abnormal signals between the brain, eyes and ears can create feeling of motion
IN THE NEWS: Vertigo makes the room feel like it’s spinning, even when you’re stationary. While common, it can feel alarming and be disruptive.
Dr. Hamid Djalilian, a board-certified otolaryngologist at the UCI Health Hearing and Ear Disorders Program, recently spoke with Prevention explaining that the sensation of vertigo is often caused by abnormal signals between your ear, brain and eye movements.
“When the inner ear is stimulated abnormally, it sends a signal to the brain, and the brain interprets that as motion. The brain subsequently sends a signal, moving the eyes to adjust for that head motion. However, the brain realizes that motion has not occurred and then corrects that eye motion back. This can repeat a few times or many times. That movement of the eyes is what creates the sensation of motion to the patient.”
Djalilian is a board-certified and fellowship trained in otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at UCI Health. His areas of expertise include complex ear surgery, hearing loss, balance disorders, facial nerve paralysis and skull base surgery. As a professor of otolaryngology at the UC Irvine School of Medicine, Djalilian’s research is related to cochlear implants, acoustic neuroma and chronic ear disease. He has developed several innovative devices for the treatment of hearing loss, imbalance and tinnitus.
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About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.