Signal Processing of Semicircular Canal and Otolith Signals in the Vestibular Nuclei during Passive and Active Head Movements

The vestibular nerve sends signals to the brain that code the movement and position of the head in space. These signals are used by the brain for a variety of functions, including the control of reflex and voluntary movements and the construction of a sense of self‐motion. If many of these functions...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2003-10, Vol.1004 (1), p.169-182
Main Authors: McCREA, ROBERT A., LUAN, HONGGE
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Eye Movements - physiology
head movements
Head Movements - physiology
otolith
Otolithic Membrane - physiology
Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular - physiology
Saimiri
Semicircular Canals - physiology
Signal Transduction - physiology
Space life sciences
Vestibular Nerve - physiology
vestibular nuclei
Vestibular Nuclei - physiology
vestibulo-ocular reflex
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Summary:The vestibular nerve sends signals to the brain that code the movement and position of the head in space. These signals are used by the brain for a variety of functions, including the control of reflex and voluntary movements and the construction of a sense of self‐motion. If many of these functions are to be carried out, a distinction must be made between sensory vestibular signals related to active head movements and those related to passive head movements. Current evidence is that the distinction occurs at an early stage of sensory processing in the brain, and the results are evident in the firing behavior of neurons in the vestibular nuclei that receive direct inputs from the vestibular nerve. Several specific examples of how sensory information related to passive and active head movements is transformed in the vestibular nuclei are discussed.
ISSN:0077-8923
1749-6632
DOI:10.1196/annals.1303.015