Summary
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1.
Intra- and extracellular potentials were recorded from vestibular neurons of the frog following stimulation of the ipsilateral cerebellar cortex (auricular lobe). Single neurons were identified as vestibular neurons by their location within the borders of the vestibular nuclei and by their activationvia stimulation of the anterior branch of the VIIIth nerve.
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2.
Stimulation of the cerebellar auricular lobe provoked in some vestibular neurons apparently pure IPSPs with latencies as short as 1.5 msec suggesting a monosynaptic linkage between Purkinje cells and vestibular neuron. Vestibular-evoked responses were inhibited by cerebellar conditioning stimuli for as long as 50 msec.
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Cerebellar stimulation also elicited an EPSP-IPSP sequence or occasionally pure EPSPs in vestibular neurons. These EPSPs were probably generated by axon reflex activation via the excitation of axons of primaryand secondary vestibular neurons terminating in the cerebellum since they persisted after chronic VIIIth nerve section. Some vestibular evoked responses were facilitated by cerebellar stimuli for 40–50 msec.
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4.
Occasionally an inhibitory effect was also induced in vestibular neurons by paired ipsilateral VIIIth nerve stimulation; it's latency of onset and time course suggested that a vestibulo-cerebello-vestibular loop was mainly responsible for the inhibition.
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Supported by a fellowship from CNR, Italy.
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Magherini, P.C., Giretti, M.L. & Precht, W. Cerebellar control of vestibular neurons of the frog. Pflugers Arch. 356, 99–109 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584290
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584290