HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Farrow, K. Articles by Broussard, D. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Farrow, K. Articles by Broussard, D. M.

Report

Commissural Inputs to Secondary Vestibular Neurons in Alert Cats After Canal Plugs

¹ Department of Physiology, ²Toronto Western Research Institute, and ³Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada

Submitted 22 November 2002; accepted in final form 17 January 2003

Gaze is stabilized during head movements primarily by the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR). After a unilateral canal plug, the VOR's response is reduced. Recovery of the VOR may be brought about by changes in the efficacy of brain stem synapses or by other mechanisms. We measured the responses of horizontal secondary vestibular neurons (HSNs) to stimulation of the contralateral labyrinth. HSN responses in normal alert cats were compared with those in cats that had recovered from unilateral horizontal semicircular canal (HSCC) plugs. After recovery, excitatory commissural inputs to HSNs on the plugged side elicited significantly smaller responses than in normal cats with no change in mean discharge rates. However, mean discharge rates tended to be higher after recovery for cells receiving inhibitory commissural inputs. The change in resting rate invalidates any direct comparison of inhibitory inputs. These results are interpreted in terms of possible mechanisms for recovery from unilateral vestibular loss by the VOR neural network. We conclude that after unilateral HSCC plugs, changes in brain stem excitatory synapses and/or excitability of secondary vestibular neurons may participate in the restoration of normal vestibular reflexes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. M. Broussard and C. D. Kassardjian Learning in a Simple Motor System Learn. Mem., March 1, 2004; 11(2): 127 - 136. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]