Dancers’ resistance to vertigo cannot be explained by a generalized suppression of vestibular signaling

From a vestibular perspective, it is remarkable that dancers are often performing challenging tasks such as pirouettes, and yet manage to do so without falling. Some have suggested that dancers' resistance to vertigo may be explained by a generalized suppression of vestibular signaling. Here, we aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the impact of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on postural control in dancers. A total of 38 participants were recruited for this study and were divided into two groups: 19 dancers and 19 healthy controls. Postural control was assessed at baseline and during GVS. As expected, dancers exhibited better postural control, as assessed by a decrease in sway area, when compared to the control group in the baseline condition. However, contrary to expectations, dancers did not differ from controls during GVS. This confirms that dancers' resistance to vertigo cannot be explained by a generalized suppression of vestibular signaling. Rather, dancers may have developed a more accurate body representation due to top-down modulation of subcortical neuronal networks and may only be able to modify vestibular input during active movement.