For those who have never suffered from a bout of vertigo, the
condition might evoke thoughts of Alfred Hitchock and a dizzying
fear of heights. Those people would be misguided. Imagine
instead that, for anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes, you are
both falling and spinning, and yet you are also lying perfectly
still in bed. It is not only nauseating and terrifying, but the
disconnect is also completely frustrating. Millions of people
around the world are thought to suffer from one of a number of
balance disorders, some of which are still poorly understood (do
the problems stem from the ear, brain, or some combination of
the two?). However, a new device could help those who suffer
from one such problem, called Meniere's disease, avoid symptoms
the moment an attack begins. The implantable device consists of
a cochlear implant and a processor with new software and
electrode arrays designed by University of Washington
researchers who specialize in head and neck surgery, signal
processing, brainstem physiology,