The neural substrate of the vestibulocollic reflex. What needs to be learned
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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Three Dimensional Vestibular Ocular Reflex Testing Using a Six Degrees of Freedom Motion Platform
Published on: May 23, 2013
1Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021-6399, USA. vwilson@rockvax.rockefeller.edu
Abstract:
The purpose of this review is to assess the role of short-latency pathways in the vestibulocollic reflex (VCR). First the current knowledge about the disynaptic and trisynaptic pathways linking semicircular canal and otolith afferents with cat neck motoneurons is summarized. We then discuss whether these pathways are sufficient or necessary to produce the responses observed in neck muscles by natural vestibular stimulation and conclude that they are neither. Finally, alternate pathways are considered, most likely involving reticulospinal fibers, which are an important part of the neural substrate of the VCR.
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