Responses of semicircular canal and otolith afferents to small angle static head tilts in the gerbil

The discharge activity of first-order vestibular neurons was recorded in anesthetized or decerebrated gerbils from the post-ganglionic fibers of the vestibular nerve. Semicircular canal afferents were distinguished from otolith afferents on the basis of their responses to linear and angular head acceleration. In decerebrated preparations, canal afferents exhibited significantly faster discharge activity (average = 87.8 impulses/s) than that of canal afferents in anesthetized preparations (average = 66.2 impulses/s), when the head was held to position the lateral semicircular canals coplanar with the earth horizontal plane (standard position). The effects of changes in linear forces on vestibular afferent activity were determined by statically tilting the head +/- 10 degrees about either the fore-aft and/or left-right head axes. A change in activity, from that recorded in the standard position, of 10% or greater was considered significant. Using this criterion, significant changes in the tilt response in anesthetized animals were observed in both anterior (23 of 48 neurons, 48%) and lateral (22 of 31, 71%) canal afferents as well as otolith (18 of 25, 72%) afferents. In decerebrated preparations for tilts around the pitch (left-right) axis, comparable effects were measured in (19 of 36, 53%) anterior and (17 of 30, 57%) lateral canal afferents. Neurons with irregular firing activity were more likely than regularly firing canal afferents to change their average discharge rate during static tilt. No significant differences in response magnitude to +/- 10 degrees head tilt were found between canal and otolith afferents in anesthetized animals. Mechanisms to account for the responses to linear acceleration of canal afferents are discussed.