Response properties of vertical (VC) and horizontal (HC) canal/otolith-convergent vestibular nuclei neurons were studied in decerebrate rats during stimulation with sinusoidal linear accelerations (0.2-1.4 Hz) along different directions in the head horizontal plane. A novel characteristic of the majority of tested neurons was the nonzero response often elicited during stimulation along the "nul...

Variability in the density of groups within a patchy environment lead to differences in interaction rates, growth dynamics and social organization. In protogynous hermaphrodites there are hypothesised trade-offs among sex-specific growth, reproductive output and mortality. When differences in density lead to changes to social organization the link between growth and the timing of sex-change is ...

Vertebrate animals localize sounds by comparing differences in the acoustic signal between the two ears and, accordingly, ear structures such as the otoliths of fishes are expected to develop symmetrically. Sound recently emerged as a leading candidate cue for reef fish larvae navigating from open waters back to the reef. Clearly, the integrity of the auditory organ has a direct bearing on what...

We studied the spatial characteristics of 45 vestibular-only (VO) and 12 vestibular-plus-saccade (VPS) neurons in two cynomolgus monkeys using angular rotation and static tilt. The purpose was to determine the contribution of canal and otolith-related inputs to central vestibular neurons whose activity is associated with the central velocity storage integrator. Lateral canal-related neurons res...

-Radiocarbon < 14C >in the world's oceans increased sharply between 1950 and 1970 as a result of the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Through comparison with the 14C time series reconstructed from atmospheric measurements and marine carbonates, Kalish, in 1993, used the 14C concentration measured in fish otolith cores as a means of confirming the annulus-based age estimates for some Sout...

We investigated in normal human subjects how semicircular canal and otolith signals interact in the estimation of the subjective visual vertical after constant velocity or constant acceleration roll tilt. In the constant velocity paradigm, subjects were rotated in darkness at +/-60 degrees/s for five complete cycles before being stopped in one of seven orientations ranging from 0 to +/-90 degre...

The first fossil otolith association from the middle Paleocene (Selandian) of Scania, southern Sweden is described. Forty-seven otoliths were retrieved shallow wells representing 14 teleost taxa. Many specimens are small and/or eroded and, therefore, not identifiable to species level. Nevertheless, our findings indicate potential for further discoveries in region. Scanian otolith-based fauna gr...

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether or not and how often there is otolith dysfunction in an acute attack of Ménière's disease. PATIENTS Twenty-two definite cases of unilateral Ménière's disease diagnosed in accordance with the 1995 criteria of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for Ménière's disease. INTERVENTION Subjective visual vertical (SVV) test was performed be...

The mechanism(s) for post-bed rest (BR) orthostatic intolerance is equivocal. The vestibulosympathetic reflex contributes to postural blood pressure regulation. It was hypothesized that muscle sympathetic nerve responses to otolith stimulation would be attenuated by prolonged head-down BR. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), and peripheral vascular con...