This paper reviews the research findings that support the presence of vestibulospinal reflexes in corrections for head and body instability. Studies of the importance of labyrinthine inputs to the central nervous system organization of eye, head, and body movements demonstrate that the vestibular nuclei are more than a simple relay station for labyrinthine activity. At all levels of the vestibu...

Recent data from our laboratory demonstrated that, when rats are raised in a hypergravity environment, the sensitivity of the vestibulo-cardiovascular reflex decreases. In a hypergravity environment, static input to the vestibular system is increased; however, because of decreased daily activity, phasic input to the vestibular system may decrease. This decrease may induce use-dependent plastici...

The vestibular system consists of the peripheral vestibular organs in the inner ear and the associated extensive central nervous system projections-from the cerebellum and brainstem to the thalamic relays to cortical projections. This system is important for spatial orientation and balance, both of critical ecological importance, particularly for successful navigation in our environment. Balanc...

BACKGROUND Vestibular disorders are commonly characterized by a combination of perceptual, ocular motor, postural, and vegetative manifestations, which cause the symptoms of vertigo, nystagmus, ataxia, and nausea. Multisensory convergence and numerous polysynaptic pathways link the bilaterally organized central vestibular network with limbic, hippocampal, cerebellar, and non-vestibular cortex s...

UNLABELLED There is no consensus on the relevance of factors that influence gender differences in the behavior of muscles. Some studies have reported a relationship between muscle tension and amplitude of the vestibular evoked myogenic potential; others, that results depend on which muscles are studied or on how much load is applied. AIMS This study aims to compare vestibular evoked myogenic ...

Although the extraocular muscles contain stretch receptors it is generally believed that their afferents exert no influence on the control of eye movement. However, we have shown previously that these afferent signals reach various brainstem centres concerned with eye movement, notably the vestibular nuclei, and that the decerebrate pigeon is a favourable preparation in which to study their eff...

INTRODUCTION Chronic kidney disease is a slowly progressive disease that causes irreversible loss of renal function and is considered a public health problem worldwide. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the vestibular behavior in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing renal transplantation. METHODS A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. Thirty patients were evaluated, 33.3% femal...

OBJECTIVES The ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) is a vestibular reflex recorded from the inferior oblique (IO) muscles, which increases in amplitude during eye elevation. We investigated whether this effect of gaze elevation could be explained by movement of the IO closer to the recording electrode. METHODS We compared oVEMPs recorded with different gaze elevations to those...

The cortical processing of vestibular information is not hierarchically organized as the processing of signals in the visual and auditory modalities. Anatomic and electrophysiological studies in the monkey revealed the existence of multiple interconnected areas in which vestibular signals converge with visual and/or somatosensory inputs. Although recent functional imaging studies using caloric ...

Knowledge of the pathophysiology of vestibular disorders is essential for a logical accurate evaluation and management of the vertiginous patient. The diagnosis of vestibular system disease, particularly of peripheral disorders, depends primarily on a carefully obtained history with some assistance from tests of hearing function and vestibular sensitivity (caloric, positional tests). Radiologic...