The International Tinnitus Journal

Evaluation of Tullio Phenomenon by Computerized Dynamic Posturography

The phenomenon of sound-induced vestibular symptoms and signs has been known for a long time. It was labeled 60 years ago in light of Pietro Tullio's experiments [1-3]: after creating minuscule fenestrations in the horizontal semicircular canal he elicited pendular head movements and nystagmus in pigeons by leading the sound of a flute to their ear. Observing the motion of dye particles in the labyrinthine fluids, Tullio also observed that currents are created in the columbine semicircular canals in response to sound stimuli, with perfect correspondence between the frequencies of the applied sound and the oscillations of these internal currents. He showed that sound waves spread from perilymph to endolymph and stimulate the hair cells of the cristae ampullares.