Evidence for a vestibulo-cardiac reflex in man

Changes in posture demand rapid cardiovascular adjustments to maintain bloo d pressure and volume distribution. We demonstrated a vestibulo-cardiac ref lex in supine individuals by measuring electrocardiogram and arterial blood pressure after small backwards drops of the head triggered at varying inte rvals after the R-spike. In normal volunteers heart rate was accelerated by drops occurring within 500-600 ms of a beat, but no rapid effect was noted in patients with a vestibular defect. The speed at which the vestibular si gnal of head drop accelerated heart rate implies a direct reflex. Impairmen t of the vestibulo-cardiac reflex would help to explain the vaso-vagal cons equences of labyrinthitis.