A group of Catalan scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), in collaboration with the University of Washington, has found the neurons responsible for dizziness. Specifically, these are the VGLUT2 neurons They are found in the inner ear and are responsible for balance and posture. The study, published in the journal PNAS, proposes new drugs to block it.
Catalan scientists, led by researcher Albert Quintana, have carried out experiments with mice to reveal how the neural circuit that adjusts our position in space and time works when the signals perceived from our senses lack coherence. For example, when the eyes see movement from the window but the body remains static.
VGLUT2 neurons are responsible for activating a hormone, cholecystokinin (CCK), which also intervenes in digestion and appetite. They are those that produce a feeling of satiety with food. It is not a coincidence, since one of the consequences of dizziness is vomiting.
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When we eat something spoiled, this hormone produces a response similar to that of vomiting to prevent us from ingesting it. This has allowed the evolution of the human being. But currently, in means of transport or virtual reality, this neural mechanism is put into action, according to the study by UAB researchers.
The authors of the study propose a drug to stop dizziness. It’s about the devacepida, a drug approved in Europe and the United States for gastric problems. It is an antagonist of CCK, blocking its neuronal receptor and preventing the hormone from being activated. They have seen it with the mice with which they have investigated. Unlike existing drugs, they do not use this route and, in addition to being less effective, they have side effects such as drowsiness.