How do dancers not get dizzy

The culprit responsible for dizziness is fluid-filled chambers of the inner ear, known as vestibular organs. After we stop spinning, the fluid continues moving, sending signals to the cerebellum and creating the sense that our bodies are still in motion.

The study also found that fewer signals were being sent to the cerebral cortex, a region of the brain responsible for the perception of dizziness. This research, besides demonstrating the amazing ability of the brain to adapt to the needs of its bearer, could be essential in treating patients suffering from chronic dizziness.

Perhaps in the near future, that nausea-inducing carnival ride will be something everyone can safely enjoy. Home Current Issue Ballet dancers seem to be able to train themselves not to get dizzy, so we wondered whether we could use the same principles to help our patients.

The brain scans revealed differences between the groups in two parts of the brain: an area in the cerebellum where sensory input from the vestibular organs is processed and in the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the perception of dizziness. The area in the cerebellum was smaller in dancers. Dr Seemungal thinks this is because dancers would be better off not using their vestibular systems, relying instead on highly co-ordinated pre-programmed movements. Their brains adapt over years of training to suppress that input.

Consequently, the signal going to the brain areas responsible for perception of dizziness in the cerebral cortex is reduced, making dancers resistant to feeling dizzy. Another finding in the study may be important for how chronic dizzy patients are tested in the clinic. In the control group, the perception of spinning closely matched the eye reflexes triggered by vestibular signals, but in dancers, the two were uncoupled.

You need to look at tests that assess both reflex and sensation. Ballet dancers employ another technique they call spotting. They hold it in place and then quickly whip it around at the end of each turn, minimizing the time their head is rotating and limiting any nystagmus.

Learning to spot may offer ballet dancers an even broader benefit: a study suggests that the training might teach their brain how to suppress dizzy signals at their origin, the inner ear.

Despite these tricks, figure skaters and dancers still lose their balance sometimes, but here, too, intense practice comes in handy. If they rehearse and master graceful movements at the end of a spin, it can afford them the chance to recover after a brief dizzy spell. Do you have a question about the brain you would like an expert to answer?

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