Vestibulaarijärjestelmänä

Vestibulaarijärjestelmänä, known in English as the vestibular system, is a sensory system responsible for providing the brain with information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation. It is located in the inner ear and plays a crucial role in balance, posture, and coordinating eye movements with head movements. The vestibular system consists of two main components: the semicircular canals and the otolith organs.

The three semicircular canals are oriented at approximately right angles to each other and detect rotational movements of the head. Within each canal, a fluid called endolymph moves when the head rotates, stimulating hair cells that send signals to the brain. The otolith organs, the utricle and the saccule, contain small calcium carbonate crystals called otoliths. These organs detect linear acceleration and the pull of gravity, helping us perceive whether we are moving forward, backward, up, or down, and our head's position relative to gravity.

Information from the vestibular system is integrated with sensory input from vision and proprioception (the sense of the relative position of one's own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement) to maintain balance and stability. Dysfunction of the vestibular system can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and problems with balance and coordination.