National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The Nation's Medical Research Agency
Additional Resource
Projects and Grants
Research is also being conducted on the role of the vestibular system in the middle ear in controlling the autonomic nervous system, particularly as it pertains to maintaining blood pressure and blood supply to the brain in the upright posture. Several other research projects are also underway, including the value of brain magnetic resonance imaging in the differential diagnosis of autonomic disorders with parkinsonism.
Vestibular Control of Sympathetic Activity
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, have recently found that gravity sensors in the middle ear (otolith organs) play an important role in maintaining blood flow to the brain during movement. This work is supported by NASA ( 1, 2) and the NIH.
Brain MRIs in Autonomic Disorders
Brain magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging offers the potential for objective criteria in the differential diagnosis of multiple system atrophy with predominant parkinsonism (MSA-P) and Parkinson's Disease (PD). The goal of this study is to determine the usefulness of brain MRIs in the diagnosis of autonomic disorders.
