Abstract
The vestibular system contributes to responses that degrade with age. As three examples, the average perceptual threshold measured in a healthy asymptomatic population doubles between the age of 42 and 54 for earth-vertical translation in the dark and continues to increase with age, human temporal bone studies report a gradual monotonic loss of both hair cells and afferent neurons, and neurochemical changes have been reported in the central vestibular system. As the population ages, the prevalence and impact of age-related vestibular loss (ARVL) will grow. This chapter reviews the epidemiologic, pathologic, physiologic/behavioral, and neurochemical evidence for ARVL.