Abstract
Responses of single neurons in the vestibular nuclei to clicks were studied by extracellular recording in anaesthetised guinea pigs. Eighty-four neurons in the ipsilateral vestibular nuclei were activated with an average latency of 1.75±0.30 ms, which is about 0.9 ms longer than the mean latency of activation of click-sensitive vestibular afferents to intense clicks. The threshold of clicks for evoking the response of these neurons was around 70 dB above the auditory brainstem response threshold. Earlier studies have indicated that click-sensitive vestibular afferents are tilt-sensitive and likely to originate from saccular receptors, and in the present study nine of the click-sensitive vestibular nucleus neurons were tilt-sensitive, suggesting that these central neurons receive monosynaptic input from the corresponding saccular afferents. Recording sites were marked by means of iontophoretic injection of FCF green dye; they were located in the lateral portion of the descending vestibular nucleus and the caudal and ventral regions of the lateral vestibular nucleus.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown MC, Liberman MC, Benson TE, Ryugo DK (1988) Brainstem branches from olivocochlear axons in cats and rodents. J Comp Neurol 278:591–603
Burian M, Gstoettner W (1988) Projection of primary vestibular afferent fibres to the cochlear nucleus in the guinea pig. Neurosci Lett 84:13–17
Cazals Y, Aran J-M, Erre J-P, Guilhaume A (1980) Acoustic responses after total destruction of the cochlear receptor: brainstem and auditory cortex. Science 210:83–86
Cazals Y, Erre J-P, Aurousseau C (1987) Eighth nerve auditory evoked responses recorded at the base of the vestibular nucleus in the guinea pig. Hear Res 31:93–98
Colebatch JG, Halmagyi GM, Skuse NF (1994) Myogenic potentials generated by a click-evoked vestibulocollic reflex. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 57:190–197
Didier A, Cazals Y (1989) Acoustic responses recorded from the saccular bundle on the eighth nerve of the guinea pig. Hear Res 37:123–128
Didier A, Cazals Y, Aurousseau C (1987) Brainstem connections of the anterior and posterior parts of the saccule in the guinea pig. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) 104:385–391
Gacek RR (1969) The course and central termination of first order neurons supplying vestibular endorgans in the cat. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) Suppl.254:1–66
Gstoettner W, Burian M (1987) Vestibular nuclear complex in the guinea pig: a cytoarchitectonic study and map in three planes. J Comp Neurol 257:176–188
Gstoettner W, Burian M, Cartellieri M (1992) Central projections from singular parts of the vestibular labyrinth in the guinea pig. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) 112:486–495
Halmagyi GM, Colebatch JG (1995) Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in the sternomastoid muscle are not of lateral canal origin. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) Suppl 520:1–3
Hwang JC, Poon WF (1975) An electrophysiological study of the sacculo-ocular pathways in cats. Jpn J Physiol 25:241–251
Ito J, Takahashi H, Matsuoka I, Takatani T, Sasa M, Takatori S (1983) Vestibular efferent fibers to ampulla of anterior, lateral and posterior canals in cats. Brain Res 259:293–297
Kevetter GA, Perachio AA (1989) Projections from the sacculus to the cochlear nuclei in the mongolian gerbil. Brain Behav Evol 34:193–200
Liberman MC, Brown MC (1986) Physiology and anatomy of single olivocochlear neurons in the cat. Hear Res 24:17–36
McCue MP, Guinan JJ Jr (1994) Acoustically responsive fibers in the vestibular nerve of the cat. J Neurosci 14:6058–6070
McCue MP, Guinan JJ Jr (1995) Spontaneous activity and frequency selectivity of acoustically responsive vestibular afferents in the cat. J Neurophysiol 74:1563–1572
Murofushi T, Kaga K, Asakage T (1994) Temporary latency shifts in auditory evoked potentials by injection of lidocaine in the rat. Hear Res 76:53–59
Murofushi T, Curthoys IS, Topple AN, Colebatch JG, Halmagyi GM (1995) Responses of guinea pig primary vestibular neurons to clicks. Exp Brain Res 103:174–178
Murofushi T, Halmagyi GM, Yavor RA, Colebatch JG (1996) Absent vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in vestibular neuritis: an indicator of involvement of the inferior vestibular nerve? Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (in press)
Rhode WS, Smith PH (1986) Encoding timing and intensity in the ventral cochlear nucleus of the cat. J Neurophysiol 56:261–286
Sato H, Imagawa M, Sasaki M, Endo K, Ikegami H, Isu N, Uchino Y (1995) Differences between the utricular activated and saccular activated second order vestibulospinal neurons in cats. Soc Neurosci Abstr 21:1914
Thomas RC, Wilson VJ (1965) Precise localization of Renshaw cells with a new marking technique. Nature 206:211–213
Tickle DR, Schneider GE (1982) Projection of the auditory nerve to the medial vestibular nucleus. Neurosci Lett 28:1–7
Uchino Y, Sato H, Imagawa M, Sasaki M, Ikegami M (1994) The sacculo-neck reflex arc of the decerebrate cat. In: Taguchi K, Igarashi M, Mori S (eds) Vestibular and neural front. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 517–520
Wilson VJ, Boyle R, Fukushima K, Rose PK, Shinoda Y, Sugiuchi Y, Uchino Y (1995) The vestibulocollic reflex. J Vestib Res 5:147–170
Young ED, Fernández C, Goldberg JM (1977) Responses of squirrel monkey vestibular neurons to audio-frequency sound and head vibration. Acta Otolaryngol (Stockh) 84:352–360
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murofushi, T., Curthoys, I.S. & Gilchrist, D.P. Response of guinea pig vestibular nucleus neurons to clicks. Exp Brain Res 111, 149–152 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229565
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229565