Vestibular control of the head: possible functions of the vestibulocollic reflex

Stabilization of the head is required not only for adequate motor performance, such as maintaining balance while standing or walking, but also for the adequate reception of sensory inputs such as visual and auditory information. The vestibular organs, which consist of three approximately orthogonal semicircular canals (anterior, horizontal, posterior) and two otolith organs (utriculus, sacculus), provide the most important input for the detection of head movement. Activation of afferents from these receptors evokes the vestibulocollic reflex (VCR), which stabilizes bead position in space. In this review, which is the outgrowth of a session of the vestibular symposium held in Hawaii in April, 1994, we discuss the neural substrate of this reflex and some aspects of the central processing involved in its production. Some topics are not considered, in particular the important interaction between the VCR and the cervicocollic reflex evoked by activation of neck afferents (70,119), and attempts to model the reflex (69).

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The Recordability of Two Sonomotor Responses in Young Normal Subjects

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.19.7.3 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 19 (07) ◽

pp. 542-547

Author(s):

Devin L. McCaslin ◽

Gary P. Jacobson ◽

Todd Harry

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

High Reliability ◽

Initial Step ◽

Normal Subjects ◽

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential ◽

Vestibulocollic Reflex ◽

Reflex Pathway ◽

Age Related ◽

Bilateral Absence ◽

Bilateral Impairment

Background: It has been reported that up to 40% of patients over age 60 fail to generate a vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP; Su et al, 2004). When this occurs it is difficult to determine whether the absent VEMP represents evidence of bilateral impairment of the vestibulocollic reflex pathway or a normal age-related variant (i.e., idiopathic absence). Purpose: The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether both VEMPs and PAMs could be recorded reliably in a sample of neurologically and otologically intact young adults. If both could be obtained with high reliability in normal subjects, then the bilateral presence of PAM in the bilateral absence of VEMP, at least in younger patients, could be used to support the contention that the absent VEMP represented evidence of bilateral impairment. Research Design: A descriptive study. Study Sample: Attempts were made to record both the VEMP and a second sonomotor response, the postauricular muscle potential (PAM) from 20 young adults. Results: Results showed both the VEMP and the PAM were present in 90% of the ears. Both the VEMP and PAM responses were bilaterally absent for one subject. Also, the VEMP and PAM were unilaterally absent for two subjects. Subjects who generated VEMPs also generated a PAM in at least one ear. Conclusions: The present investigation represents an initial step in the determination of whether the presence of PAMs in the absence of VEMPs can be used as a method of validating the presence of an impairment affecting the vestibulocollic reflex pathway.

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The sagittal vestibulocollic reflex and its interaction with neck proprioceptive afferents in the decerebrate cat.

The Journal of Physiology ◽

10.1113/jphysiol.1985.sp015572 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 359 (1) ◽

pp. 17-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 115

Author(s):

M B Dutia ◽

M J Hunter

Keyword(s):

Decerebrate Cat ◽

Vestibulocollic Reflex ◽

Proprioceptive Afferents

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Effect of melatonin on the vestibulocollic reflex in humans

The FASEB Journal ◽

10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.1020.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (S1) ◽

Author(s):

Jonathan S Cook ◽

Stephanie A Chin‐Sang ◽

Charity L Sauder ◽

Chester A Ray

Keyword(s):

Vestibulocollic Reflex

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A Role of Neck Afferents on Vestibulocollic Reflex Elicited by Dynamic Labyrinthine Stimulation

Progress in Brain Research - Reflex Control of Posture And Movement ◽

10.1016/s0079-6123(08)60852-3 ◽

1979 ◽

pp. 537-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K. Ezure ◽

S. Sasaki ◽

Y. Uchino ◽

V.J. Wilson

Keyword(s):

Vestibulocollic Reflex ◽

Neck Afferents

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Vestibulocollic Neurons and the Vestibulocollic Reflex

Vestibular and Brain Stem Control of Eye, Head and Body Movements ◽

10.1159/000421372 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 69-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Robert H. Schor ◽

Victor J. Wilson ◽

Billy J. Yates ◽

Yoshitaka Yamagata ◽

Satoshi Nonaka

Keyword(s):

Vestibulocollic Reflex

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The neural substrate of the vestibulocollic reflex

Experimental Brain Research ◽

10.1007/s002210050918 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 129 (4) ◽

pp. 0483-0493 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

V. J. Wilson ◽

R. H. Schor

Keyword(s):

Vestibulocollic Reflex ◽

Neural Substrate

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Response of commissural and other upper cervical ventral horn neurons to vestibular stimuli in vertical planes

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1994.71.1.11 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 71 (1) ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

K. Endo ◽

J. Kasper ◽

V. J. Wilson ◽

B. J. Yates

Keyword(s):

Vestibular Nuclei ◽

Vestibular Stimulation ◽

Ventral Horn ◽

Neuron Activity ◽

Vestibulocollic Reflex ◽

Commissural Neurons ◽

Upper Cervical ◽

Neck Motoneurons ◽

Vector Orientation ◽

Response Vector

1. To study their contribution to the vestibulocollic reflex, we have studied, in decerebrate paralyzed cats, the effect of sinusoidal vestibular stimulation in multiple vertical planes on the spontaneous activity of neurons in the C3 ventral horn. Antidromic microstimulation was used to identify 17/42 neurons as commissural; 10 of these were confirmed to have a projection to the contralateral ventral horn. 2. Dynamics of the responses of spontaneously firing neurons were studied with 0.05–1 Hz sinusoidal stimuli delivered near the plane of rotation that produced maximal modulation of neuron activity (response vector orientation). On the basis of their responses, we classified 38 neurons as receiving otolith, semicircular canal, or otolith + canal input. All three response types were found among commissure and nonantidromic neurons. 3. Two-thirds of neuron response vector orientations pointed contralaterally. They were either near the anterior or posterior canal planes or in the roll quadrant. In the case of neurons with input from canals, the latter indicates convergence from the vertical canals on the same side. There were almost no vectors in the pitch quadrants. The distribution of response vector orientations resembles that seen in the vestibular nuclei and pontomedullary reticular formation, suggesting that commissural neurons may not make a new contribution to spatial processing in the vertical vestibulocollic reflex. 4. It is presumed that commissural neurons are premotor. If so, some have the properties to be in the pathway between the contralateral utricle and neck motoneurons. More generally, their actions could modify the effectiveness of vestibulospinal and reticulospinal fibers that have similar spatial properties and make synapses with neck motoneurons.

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