Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Equilibrium and Balance

Equilibrium and Balance

The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...

The Vestibular System

The Vestibular System

The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures within the labyrinth of the inner ear, including the cochlea and two otolith organs—the utricle and saccule. The labyrinth also contains three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—that are oriented on different planes.

Indirect Motor Pathways

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Pathophysiological processes underlying hidden hearing loss revealed in Kcnt1/2 double knockout mice.

Aging cell·2024

Same author

Spontaneous allelic variant in deafness-blindness gene Ush1g resulting in an expanded phenotype.

Genes, brain, and behavior·2023

Same author

Function of bidirectional sensitivity in the otolith organs established by transcription factor Emx2.

Nature communications·2022

Same author

Repair of surviving hair cells in the damaged mouse utricle.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2022

Same author

ANKRD24 organizes TRIOBP to reinforce stereocilia insertion points.

The Journal of cell biology·2022

Same author

Gene Therapy Restores Balance and Auditory Functions in a Mouse Model of Usher Syndrome.

Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

Published on: August 30, 2019

Anatomical and Physiological Considerations in Vestibular Dysfunction and Compensation.

Sherri M Jones¹, Timothy A Jones, Kristal N Mills

¹Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, East Carolina University.

Seminars in Hearing

|November 13, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The brain integrates vestibular, visual, and somatosensory information for balance and posture. This review explores the vestibular system

More Related Videos

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

Published on: August 22, 2025

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Published on: August 4, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

Using Unidirectional Rotations to Improve Vestibular System Asymmetry in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

Published on: August 30, 2019

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane

Published on: August 22, 2025

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Estimating Vestibular Perceptual Thresholds Using a Six-Degree-Of-Freedom Motion Platform

Published on: August 4, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Ophthalmology
Vestibular System Research

Background:

The human balance system integrates multisensory inputs (vestibular, visual, somatosensory) for motor control of gaze, posture, and balance.
The complexity of the balance system presents diagnostic challenges for dizziness.
Specific pathways, like the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), are well-studied, offering insights into vestibular function.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the normal vestibular system.
To apply these concepts to explain clinical presentations in common peripheral vestibular disorders.
To discuss research on the anatomical and physiological underpinnings of vestibular compensation.

Main Methods:

Literature review focusing on anatomical and physiological aspects of the vestibular system.
Analysis of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) pathways.
Synthesis of findings related to peripheral vestibular disorders and compensation mechanisms.

Main Results:

Detailed review of vestibular system anatomy and physiology.
Explanation of clinical findings in peripheral vestibular disorders based on VOR and other pathways.
Discussion of research advancements in understanding vestibular system plasticity and compensation.

Conclusions:

Understanding vestibular anatomy and physiology, particularly the VOR, is crucial for interpreting eye movements and vestibular disorders.
The review provides a framework for understanding vestibular compensation mechanisms.
Further research into vestibular plasticity holds promise for managing balance disorders.