[Conduction time in the oculomotor nerve during postnatal development of the rabbit]

Investigations of eye movements after electrical ampullar nerve stimulation in postnatal growing rabbits have shown a shortening of the latency. To analyse the time portions, necessary for the passage of an excitation through the different structures of the vestibulo-ocular reflex are, the knowledge of the conduction time of the oculomotor nerve is also essential. Therefore, the length of the nerve and the mean diameter of the nerve fibres were measured, the corresponding nerve conduction velocity was taken from the literature as well as the conduction time was calculated. The conduction time decreases only from the birth to the 18th postnatal d and reaches the half value of the newborns. It portion of the latency is 5% in all age groups.