Spatial Properties of Central Vestibular Neurons of Monkeys after Lateral Canal Nerve Section

Thirty-seven neurons were recorded in the superior vestibular nucleus (SVN) of two cynomolgus monkeys 1-2 years after bilateral lateral canal nerve section to test whether the central neurons had spatially adapted for the loss of lateral canal input. The absence of lateral canal function was verified with eye movement recordings. The relation of unit activity to the vertical canals was determined by oscillating the animals about a horizontal axis with the head in various orientations relative to the axis of rotation. Animals were also oscillated about a vertical axis while upright or tilted in pitch. In the second test, the vertical canals are maximally activated when the animals are tilted back about -50° from the spatial upright, and the lateral canals when the animals are tilted forward about 30°. We reasoned that if central compensation occurred, the head orientation at which the response of the vertical canal-related neurons was maximal should be shifted toward the plane of the lateral canals. No lateral canal-related units were found after nerve section, and vertical canal-related units were found only in SVN, not in the rostral medial vestibular nucleus. SVN canal-related units were maximally activated when the head was tilted back at -47°±17° and -50°±12° in the two animals, close to the predicted orientation of the vertical canals. This indicated that spatial adaptation of vertical canal-related vestibular neurons had not occurred. There were substantial neck and/or otolith-related inputs activating the vertical canal-related neurons in the nerve-sectioned animals, which could have contributed to oculomotor compensation after nerve section.