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Centrally Originating Efferent Terminals on Hair Cells: Fact or Fancy?

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The Vestibular System: Function and Morphology

Abstract

The title of this article is not meant to be inflammatory. Its purpose is, rather, to call attention to what I conider o be one of the most pressing problems in auditory and vestibular research: he continued domination of the theory of olivocochlear and vesibular efferent modulation of the end organs of the inner ear in spite of the fact that more than 30 years of research has failes to produce agreement concerning the location of the cells of origin of the efferent bundles or their functional significance. The apparent unwillingness to consider alternative points of view, or to deal objectively Centrally Originating Efferent Terminals on Hair Cells; Fact or Fancy?

The second puzzle has to do with the function of the efferent fibers that pass to the cochlea, vestibular apparatus, and other sensory organs … Perhaps the reason we have not succeeded in experimentally defining [the function of Rasmussen’s efferent cochlear bundle] as yet reflects… a misconception of what its function actually is. Obviously what is needed is a fresh set of ideas and some clean new experiments.

R. Galambos, 19601

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  1. University of Milan Medical School, Milan, Italy

    Torquato Gualtierotti (Head, Institute of Human Physiology) (Head, Institute of Human Physiology)

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Ross, M.D. (1981). Centrally Originating Efferent Terminals on Hair Cells: Fact or Fancy?. In: Gualtierotti, T. (eds) The Vestibular System: Function and Morphology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5902-2_10

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