{
  "abstract": "Otolithic vestibular receptors encode linear acceleration and head orientation relative to gravity, providing a fundamental reference signal for perception, action, and higher-order cognitive functions. However, the cerebral dynamics of otolithic information processing and their sensitivity to body orientation remain poorly characterized. Here, we used sound-induced vestibular stimulation combined with electroencephalography (EEG) in human participants to characterize vestibular-evoked potentials (vEPs) and to examine how body orientation relative to gravity modulates these responses. Otolithic activation was validated using cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials, confirming activation of otolithic pathways by 105-dB and 500-Hz tone pips. Acoustic stimuli included a novel masked stimulus that reduced auditory perception while preserving vestibular activation. Sound-induced vestibular stimulation elicited reliable short- and middle-latency vEP components. Importantly, middle-latency components Na/Pa (peak latency: 20–30 ms) and N*/P* (41–54 ms) were modulated by body orientation, showing reduced amplitudes in the supine compared with the upright position, but only for otolithic-activating sounds and not for matched auditory control stimuli. This orientation-dependent modulation was stronger for Na/Pa and was specific to otolithic-activating sounds, supporting a vestibular rather than auditory origin and highlighting early integration processes. This pattern suggests that modulation of vEPs primarily reflects context-dependent cerebral processing of otolithic signals rather than peripheral sensory mechanisms. Together, our results establish Na/Pa and N*/P* as reliable cerebral markers of otolithic processing and demonstrate that early cerebral vestibular responses are dynamically shaped by body orientation according to gravity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY : This study identifies middle-latency vestibular-evoked potentials as reliable cerebral markers of otolithic information processing. We show that both Na/Pa and N*/P* are selectively modulated by body orientation for otolithic-activating sounds but not for auditory controls. These findings reveal that early otolithic vestibular processing depends on body orientation, extending current models of multisensory vestibular integration.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Paul Kobliska"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lou Seropian"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yannick Becker"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yves Cazals"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christophe Lopez"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1bcq5c316yhd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1152/jn.00116.2026",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "b1bcq5c316yhd",
  "issns": [
    "0022-3077",
    "1522-1598"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760666v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdv"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.sdv.neu"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2808|Vestibular and auditory disorders"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7171488482",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760666/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": "American Physiological Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1bcq5c316yhd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:39Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05760666",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05760666v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:1.sdv.neu",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cerebral vestibular-evoked potentials depend on body orientation",
  "title_text": "Cerebral vestibular-evoked potentials depend on body orientation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b1bcq5c316yhd",
  "venue": "Journal of Neurophysiology",
  "versions": []
}