Action of alcohol on vestibular compensation and habituation in the cat

Several effects of alcohol on vestibular nystagmus are well known, including positional alcoholic nystagmus, a depressive effect on post-rotatory nystagmus, and an inhibition of visual fixation. This study concerns the influence of alcohol on central vestibular compensatory phenomena. In one experiment, hemilabyrinthectomized cats were allowed to compensate for the postoperative spontaneous nystagmus and directional preponderance of post-rotatory nystagmus. Following alcohol injection, spontaneous nystagmus reappeared toward the intact side, positional nystagmus was unidirectional, and post-rotatory nystagmus was profoundly more depressed than for normals. Normal cats subjected to repeated accelerations showed less habituation of post-rotatory nystagmus with alcohol than without.