PPPD in the general population

This project seeks to understand symptoms of PPPD in
the general population. Through questionnaire studies in large community samples, we have found symptoms to be remarkably common! We also consider how these symptoms relate to other experiences. For example, other diagnoses such as migraine are found to be more common in people with a greater number of PPPD symptoms.

Through studying PPPD symptoms at subclinical levels, we hope to better understand what may lead the condition to develop and therefore, how we might prevent or improve upon it.

Published research on this project

Powell, G.et al. 2021. Visual stress responses to static images are associated with symptoms of Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD). Journal of Vestibular Research. DOI: 10.3233/VES-190578

In this paper, we found that individuals with PPPD, and people in the general population with more symptoms, report experiencing more discomfort and visual stress towards static images. Particularly problematic were images with a lot of of medium-high spatial frequencies and a limited range of orientations, which are very unlike the natural landscapes we evolved to perceive.

This could indicate that visual perception is different in people with PPPD – it’s not all about vestibular functioning.

Powell, G., Derry-Sumner, H., Rajenderkumar, D., Rushton, S. K., & Sumner, P. (2020). Persistent postural perceptual dizziness is on a spectrum in the general population. Neurology, 94(18), e1929-e1938. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000009373.

In this paper, we found that it is common for members of the general population to have high levels of PPPD symptoms and that there is a large natural variation in symptoms even in people without a diagnosis. These symptoms might be expected to have some effects on day-to-day living and we are now considering whether preventative intervention might be beneficial for these individuals.

We also have some ideas about what might cause higher PPPD symptoms in people and our current research is investigating this further.