Effects of Viewing Distance on the Responses of Vestibular Neurons to Combined Angular and Linear Vestibular Stimulation

Department of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 Chen-Huang, Chiju and Robert A. McCrea. Effects of Viewing Distance on the Responses of Vestibular Neurons to Combined Angular and Linear Vestibular Stimulation. J. Neurophysiol. 81: 2538-2557, 19...

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Published in:Journal of neurophysiology 1999-05, Vol.81 (5), p.2538-2557
Main Authors: Chen-Huang, Chiju, McCrea, Robert A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Distance Perception - physiology
Eye Movements - physiology
Head - physiology
Movement - physiology
Neurons - physiology
Physical Stimulation - methods
Posture - physiology
Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular - physiology
Saimiri
Saimiri sciureus
Space life sciences
Vestibular Nuclei - cytology
Vestibular Nuclei - physiology
Vestibule, Labyrinth - innervation
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Summary:Department of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637 Chen-Huang, Chiju and Robert A. McCrea. Effects of Viewing Distance on the Responses of Vestibular Neurons to Combined Angular and Linear Vestibular Stimulation. J. Neurophysiol. 81: 2538-2557, 1999. Effects of viewing distance on the responses of vestibular neurons to combined angular and linear vestibular stimulation. The firing behavior of 59 horizontal canal-related secondary vestibular neurons was studied in alert squirrel monkeys during the combined angular and linear vestibuloocular reflex (CVOR). The CVOR was evoked by positioning the animal's head 20 cm in front of, or behind, the axis of rotation during whole body rotation (0.7,   1.9, and 4.0 Hz). The effect of viewing distance was studied by having the monkeys fixate small targets that were either near (10 cm) or far (1.3-1.7 m) from the eyes. Most units (50/59) were sensitive to eye movements and were monosynaptically activated after electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve (51/56 tested). The responses of eye movement-related units were significantly affected by viewing distance. The viewing distance-related change in response gain of many eye-head-velocity and burst-position units was comparable with the change in eye movement gain. On the other hand, position-vestibular-pause units were approximately half as sensitive to changes in viewing distance as were eye movements. The sensitivity of units to the linear vestibuloocular reflex (LVOR) was estimated by subtraction of angular vestibuloocular reflex (AVOR)-related responses recorded with the head in the center of the axis of rotation from CVOR responses. During far target viewing, unit sensitivity to linear translation was small, but during near target viewing the firing rate of many units was strongly modulated. The LVOR responses and viewing distance-related LVOR responses of most units were nearly in phase with linear head velocity. The signals generated by secondary vestibular units during voluntary cancellation of the AVOR and CVOR were comparable. However, unit sensitivity to linear translation and angular rotation were not well correlated either during far or near target viewing. Unit LVOR responses were also not well correlated with their sensitivity to smooth pursuit eye movements or their sensitivity to viewing distance during the AVOR. On the other hand there was a significant correlation between static eye position sens
ISSN:0022-3077
1522-1598
DOI:10.1152/jn.1999.81.5.2538