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Related Experiment Videos

Somatic versus vestibular gravity reception in man.

H Mittelstaedt1

  • 1Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, Seewiesen, Germany.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|May 22, 1992
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Extravestibular gravity receptors and otoliths equally influence body position perception. Somatic gravity reception involves two systems, one potentially mediated by cardiovascular changes and kidney function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Human Physiology
  • Vestibular System

Background:

  • The otoliths are primary vestibular organs for sensing gravity and linear acceleration.
  • Extravestibular gravity receptors' role in proprioception and body position control is less understood.
  • Somatic sensory input contributes significantly to the perception of body position.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the influence of extravestibular gravity receptors versus otoliths on body position perception and control.
  • To investigate the characteristics and pathways of somatic gravity reception systems.
  • To determine the contribution of cardiovascular and renal systems to gravity perception.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects were exposed to gravitoinertial forces along the spinal axis using a tiltable board and sled centrifuge.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Paraplegic subjects with varying degrees of total bilateral sensory loss (TSL) were studied.
  • Bilateral nephrectomized subjects were also assessed on the tiltable board.

    • Main Results:

    • Extravestibular and otolith effects on body position perception were found to be equally strong on average.
    • Somatic gravity reception comprises two distinct systems, both functional in subjects with lower spinal cord sensory loss.
    • One system was eliminated with TSL above the 11th thoracic segment, while another remained functional up to the 6th cervical segment, suggesting mediation via vagal afferents and cardiovascular influence.
    • Bilateral nephrectomized subjects exhibited responses similar to paraplegics with TSL between T11 and C6.

    Conclusions:

    • Somatic gravity reception is mediated by at least two distinct systems, with one likely influenced by cardiovascular changes related to gravity.
    • The truncal system of somatic gravity reception appears to involve afferents entering the spinal cord at the lower thoracic segments, potentially linked to kidney function.
    • These findings highlight the complex interplay between vestibular, somatic, cardiovascular, and renal systems in maintaining body position awareness.