Ampullary Cupula - Effects of Alcohol

Effects of Alcohol

Further information: Short-term effects of alcohol: Alcohol consumption and balance

The Buoyancy Hypothesis posits that alcohol causes vertigo by affecting the neutral buoyancy of the cupula within the surrounding fluid called the endolymph. Linear accelerations (such as that of gravity) should not in theory effect a movement of the cupula when it is neutrally buoyant. The Buoyancy Hypothesis assumes that alcohol, with a different specific gravity from that of the cupula/endolymph, diffuses at different rates into the cupula and the surrounding endolymph. The result is a temporary density gradient between the cupula and endolymph, and a consequent (erroneous) sensitivity to linear accelerations such as that of gravity by a system normally signalling rotational accelerations. This sensation is commonly referred to as "the spins".

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