This article discusses the problem of estimating the orientation of inclined ground on which a human subject stands based on information provided by the vestibular system consisting of the otolith and semicircular canals. It is assumed that body segments are not necessarily aligned and thus forming an open kinematic chain. The semicircular canals analogues to a technical gyrometer provide a mea...

To advance the understanding of genetic mechanisms involved in the patterning and the differentiation of the vertebrate auditory system, we screened for mutations affecting ear development in the zebrafish larva. Fifteen recessive mutant alleles have been isolated and analyzed. The phenotypes of these mutants involve abnormalities in ear morphology, otolith formation, or both processes in paral...

Teleost otoliths provide a pivotal medium for studying changes in population structure and dynamics of fish. Understanding the otolith-fish size relationship intraspecies variation otolith morphology is essential accurate assessment management fishery resources. In our study, we aimed to estimate relationships between morphological measurements fish length, detect differences planktivorous bent...

Otoliths are biomineralised structures important for balance and hearing in fish. Their counterparts in the mammalian inner ear, otoconia, have a primarily vestibular function. Otoliths and otoconia form over sensory maculae and are attached to the otolithic membrane, a gelatinous extracellular matrix that provides a physical coupling between the otolith and the underlying sensory epithelium. I...

In larval and juvenile whitefish (Coregonus /avaretlls L.) from Lake Constance, Germany, the otolith increments are deposited daily, whereas daily deposition could not be confirmed in larval whitefish from Lake Pyhaselka, Finland. The calcium concentration in Lake Constance is high (around 1.3 mM), while calcium deficiency is typical for Finnish lakes (around 0.15 mM). Therefore, the hypothesis...

During prolonged rotation about a tilted yaw axis, often referred to as off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR), a percept of being translated along a conical path slowly emerges as the sense of rotation subsides. Recently, we found that these perceptual changes are consistent with a canal-otolith interaction model that attributes the illusory translation percept to improper interpretation of the amb...

We investigated growth patterns and evidence of growth dependent survival for a population of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua using analysis of their otolith microstructure. Central concentrations of a population of cod larvae and juveniles in the north-eastern North Sea were sampled twice (in April and May 2001), and larval/juvenile growth history from each of the sampling sequences was outlined. Gr...

The biomineralization of otoliths results mainly from the release of soluble Ca(2+), which is in turn precipitated as CaCO(3) crystals. In some Carapidae, sagittae sections have been shown to reveal a three-dimensional asymmetry with a nucleus close to the sulcal side, an unusual position. This study seeks to understand otolith formation in Carapus boraborensis. The unusual shape of the otolith...

OBJECTIVE The ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), a recently documented otolith-ocular reflex, is considered to reflect the central projections of the primary otolithic afferent fibers to the oculomotor nuclei. The aim of our study is to define air-conducted sound oVEMP abnormality in patients with acute brainstem lesions and to determine the brainstem structures involved in th...