Cranial, Visual & Vestibular Integration Flashcards

According to PRI, what role does the visual system play in maintaining postural asymmetry?

Answer: It can override proprioceptive input and maintain asymmetrical postural patterns

In PRI, the visual system can dominate proprioceptive feedback, maintaining asymmetrical postural patterns when the eyes are not in a neutral horizontal position.

Which cranial nerve primarily carries vestibular signals that influence postural muscle tone?

Answer: Cranial nerve VIII (Vestibulocochlear)

Cranial nerve VIII carries vestibular signals from the inner ear to the vestibular nuclei, which modulate postural muscle tone throughout the body.

In PRI theory, what is 'ocular lock' and why is it clinically significant?

Answer: A state where the visual system fixes gaze on a target, perpetuating associated postural compensations

Ocular lock in PRI describes how visual fixation on a target maintains associated postural compensations, preventing the body from achieving neutral repositioning.

How does achieving horizontal gaze level influence PRI treatment outcomes?

Answer: Level eye positioning reduces compensatory cervical and postural muscle activation needed to maintain gaze

When eyes are level with minimal effort, compensatory cervical and postural muscle activation required to maintain visual level decreases, facilitating neutral repositioning.

What is the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and its clinical relevance in PRI?

Answer: A gaze-stabilizing reflex linking head movement to eye movement that can affect postural tone when dysfunctional

The VOR stabilizes gaze during head movement, and when dysfunctional it can contribute to cervical and postural muscle overactivation as PRI patterns compensate for vestibular-visual mismatch.

Which muscle serves dual roles in vestibular function and left AIC patterned positioning according to PRI?

Answer: Sternocleidomastoid

The sternocleidomastoid is involved in left AIC cervical positioning and attaches near the mastoid process adjacent to vestibular structures, giving it dual roles in postural and vestibular function.

How does cranial base asymmetry affect breathing and postural patterns in PRI?

Answer: Cranial base asymmetry can alter dural tension, cervical mechanics, and diaphragmatic positioning

PRI recognizes that cranial base asymmetry can affect dural tension and cervical mechanics, which in turn influence thoracic mechanics and diaphragmatic positioning.