Does Vestibular Function Truly Impact Cognitive Changes in the Elderly Population?
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Background: : Emerging evidence highlights the vestibular system's critical role in cognitive function, though the mechanisms linking vestibular dysfunction to cognitive decline remain unclear, necessitating further large-scale studies. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between vestibular function and cognitive impairment in older adults.Methods: : We assessed the impact of vestibular function on cognitive performance in rural older adults aged 60 and above (n = 479) using data of the 2024 Taizhou Imaging Study Cohort. Vestibular function was measured using the modified Romberg test and self-designed balance questionnaire, while cognitive function was assessed with the MMSE and MoCA scale. Diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was based on comprehensive cognitive assessments. Correlation analyses and multivariable unconditional logistic regression were performed to evaluate the relationship between vestibular function and cognitive performance.Results: : The average age of the study population was 67.73 years (SD = 3.9). The prevalence of dementia was 7.5%, and the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment was 26.7%. Vestibular dysfunction, as assessed by the modified Romberg test, had a prevalence of 11.4%, while the prevalence of subjective vestibular dysfunction, based on self-reported symptoms from the balance questionnaire, was 19%. The self-reported rate of dizziness was significantly higher in females (24%) compared to males (12.7%) (p = 0.003). Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between vestibular function and cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]: r = 0.16, p < 0.05; Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]: r = 0.19, p < 0.05). However, logistic regression analysis indicated that vestibular dysfunction was not a significant factor influencing dementia prevalence, while education level and hearing status were identified as protective factors for cognitive function.Conclusions: : Our study reveals a high prevalence of both vestibular dysfunction and cognitive impairment among the elderly in rural China. While there is a significant correlation between vestibular function and cognitive performance, multivariable analysis failed to identify vestibular dysfunction as an independent risk factor for dementia. This suggests that vestibular function may influence overall cognitive abilities but does not directly drive the onset of dementia. Future research is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms linking vestibular health to cognitive decline.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.001 | 0.003 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".