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Three Dimensional Vestibular Ocular Reflex Testing Using a Six Degrees of Freedom Motion Platform
Published on: May 23, 2013
Horizontal vestibuloocular reflex evoked by high-acceleration rotations in the squirrel monkey. II. Responses after
D M Lasker1, D D Backous, A Lysakowski
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-0910, USA.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|September 14, 1999
Summary
Squirrel monkeys with plugged semicircular canals showed impaired horizontal angular vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) gain, which partially recovered with light exposure. This recovery involved both linear and nonlinear pathways, suggesting complex VOR adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Vestibular System Physiology
- Oculomotor Control
Background:
- The vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) stabilizes gaze during head movements.
- High-frequency, high-acceleration rotations challenge VOR function.
- Semicircular canal plugging provides a model for studying VOR adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the horizontal angular vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) in squirrel monkeys after semicircular canal plugging.
- To analyze VOR gain, latency, and frequency/velocity dependence during high-motion stimuli.
- To model the underlying neural pathways contributing to VOR recovery.
Main Methods:
- Unilateral plugging of three semicircular canals in four squirrel monkeys.
- Recording of horizontal angular VOR during steps of acceleration and sinusoidal rotations in darkness and light.
- Development and application of a computational model with linear and nonlinear pathways to simulate VOR responses.
Main Results:
- Plugging significantly reduced VOR gain, particularly for ipsilesional rotations.
- Light exposure partially restored VOR gain, with greater recovery for contralesional rotations.
- VOR recovery was frequency- and velocity-dependent, implicating both linear and nonlinear pathway adaptations.
Conclusions:
- The horizontal angular VOR exhibits significant adaptation following semicircular canal loss.
- Both linear and nonlinear neural pathways contribute to VOR gain recovery.
- The findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms of vestibular compensation.
