Peripheral vertigo is described as involving which structure?

• A. Cerebellum
• B. Vestibular apparatus
• C. Spinal cord
• D. Temporal lobe

Answer: (B)

Peripheral vertigo comes from the inner-ear balance system, the vestibular apparatus. This includes the semicircular canals that detect head rotation and the otolith organs (utricle and saccule) that sense linear acceleration and gravity. When this peripheral system is disrupted, abnormal signals travel via the vestibular nerve to the brain, producing spinning sensations and nystagmus typical of peripheral vertigo. The cerebellum, spinal cord, and temporal lobe are involved in processing or other brain functions, but vertigo originating from them would be considered central rather than peripheral. So the structure involved in peripheral vertigo is the vestibular apparatus.