Labyrinthectomy abolishes the behavioral and neural response of rats to a high-strength static magnetic field

Vertigo is a commonly-reported side effect of exposure to the high magnetic fields found in magnetic resonance imaging machines. Although it has been hypothesized that high magnetic fields interact with the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear, there has been no direct evidence establishing its role in magnet-induced vertigo. Our laboratory has shown that following exposure to high magnetic fields, rats walk in circles, acquire a conditioned taste aversion (CTA), and express c-Fos in vestibular and visceral relays of the brainstem, consistent with vestibular stimulation and vertigo or motion sickness. To determine if the inner ear is required for these effects, rats were chemically labyrinthectomized with sodium arsanilate and tested for locomotor circling, CTA acquisition, and c-Fos induction after exposure within a 14.1 T magnet. Intact rats circled counterclockwise after 30-min exposure to 14.1 T, but labyrinthectomized rats showed no increase in circling after magnetic field exposure. After 3 pairings of 0.125% saccharin with 30-min exposure at 14.1 T, intact rats acquired a profound CTA that persisted for 14 days of extinction testing; labyrinthectomized rats, however, did not acquire a CTA and showed a high preference for saccharin similar to sham-exposed rats. Finally, significant c-Fos was induced in the brainstem of intact rats by 30-min exposure to 14.1 T, but magnetic field exposure did not elevate c-Fos in labyrinthectomized rats above sham-exposed levels. These results demonstrate that an intact inner ear is necessary for all the observed effects of exposure to high magnetic fields in rats.