Deep in the inner ear, at the base of the semicircular canals, sit tiny vestibular organs called crista ampullaris – or crista, for short. Aided by millions of sensory hair cells, crista help us maintain our gaze as we move through space, not unlike a stabilizer function in a modern camera. Without a healthy population of these hair cells, the brain struggles to remain oriented and to track its position relative to the surrounding world that our eyes and ears perceive.
Although we commonly associate structures in the inner ear with hearing, not balance, this spatial impairment – imagine vertigo, all the time – contributes to another pervasive health concern for aging adults: falling
In the United States alone, falls lead to more than three million ER visits and 800,000 hospitalizations each year, pushing total medical costs to more than $50 billion. Compounded by weakening bones, falls are a major cause of hip fractures and traumatic brain injuries, often turning-point life events for the aging that compromise mobility, productivity, and independence.
