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An analysis of the mechanical forces in each semicircular canal of the cat under single and combined rotations

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Abstract

The vector equation for the general motion of a body in an inertial system is used to analyze the accelerations in the semicircular canals of the cat when the head undergoes rotation about a vertical axis only, rotation about the naso-occipital axis only, and both rotations simultaneously. The corresponding mean forces and mean pressures in the endolymph are calculated by means of a closed line integral along each canal circumference. The importance of the area of the semicircular canal and of its orientation in space become evident. One can see through this mathematical analysis that the input pattern received by the labyrinthine system depends on a set of well-specified geometrical and mechanical conditions, which must be precisely evaluated in order to interpret the nystagmic outputs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Committee on Mathematical Biology and Department of Surgery (Otolaryngology), The University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Maximo Valentinuzzi

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  1. Maximo Valentinuzzi
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Valentinuzzi, M. An analysis of the mechanical forces in each semicircular canal of the cat under single and combined rotations. Bulletin of Mathematical Biophysics 29, 267–289 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02476900

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02476900

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