A Possible Role of Prolonged Whirling Episodes on Structural Plasticity of the Cortical Networks and Altered Vertigo Perception: The Cortex of Sufi Whirling Dervishes.
Yusuf O Cakmak, Gazanfer Ekinci, Armin Heinecke, Safiye Çavdar
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 1, 2017 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00003 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSufi Whirling Dervishes can spin continuously for an hour without experiencing vertigo, while a few minutes of spinning typically induces vertigo in healthy people. This unique long-term vestibular stimulation offers a model for understanding cortical networks that resist vertigo. Magnetic resonance imaging of 10 dervishes and 10 controls showed significantly thinner cortical areas in the dervishes, particularly in hubs of the default mode network and in motion perception and discrimination areas, including the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right lingual gyrus, left visual area 5/middle temporal, and left fusiform gyrus. The findings suggest a relationship between motion/body perception cortical networks and the ability to whirl for prolonged periods without dizziness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Sufi Whirling Dervishes and healthy controls |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cortex Plasticity Vertigo Vestibular |
| Key finding | Sufi Whirling Dervishes showed significantly thinner cortical areas in motion perception and default mode network regions compared to controls, suggesting structural plasticity related to prolonged whirling without vertigo. |
Abstract
Although minutes of a spinning episode may induce vertigo in the healthy human, as a result of a possible perceptional plasticity, Sufi Whirling Dervishes (SWDs) can spin continuously for an hour without a vertigo perception.This unique long term vestibular system stimulation presents a potential human model to clarify the cortical networks underlying the resistance against vertigo. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the potential structural cortical plasticity in SWDs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 10 SWDs and 10 controls were obtained, using a 3T scanner. Cortical thickness in the whole cortex was calculated. Results demonstrated significantly thinner cortical areas for SWD subjects compared with the control group in the hubs of the default mode network (DMN), as well as in the motion perception and discrimination areas including the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the right lingual gyrus and the left visual area 5 (V5)/middle temporal (MT) and the left fusiform gyrus. In conclusion, this is the first report that warrants the potential relationship of the motion/body perception related cortical networks and the prolonged term of whirling ability without vertigo or dizziness.