title: [Cervical afferent fibers and their relation to the regulation of equilibrium].
abstract: Experiments with stimulation or denervation of cervical dorsal roots in animals have shown that input of the deep neck region is important for orientation, upright posture and the control of eye movements. Muscle spindles seem to play a dominant role as receptors for neck movements. Different ascending pathways project to the central nervous system and the signals interact with visual and vestibular stimuli. Cervical afferences provide a stabilization of the trunk during head movements because neck reflexes cancel labyrinthine reflexes. Posturographic measurements with head extension manoeuvres however did not turn out to be helpful in dizzy patients. Cervically induced eye movements are part of the complex head-eye coordination. The characteristics of cervico-ocular reactions are described. They show in relation to different neck torsion velocities a tuning curve with maximum reactions at slow velocities. Therefore the velocity of trunk rotation is, among others, an important factor when stimulating cervical afferences. The results from literature as well as own experiments show that there exists no method as yet that could yield positive evidence of cervical dizziness.
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenkranke, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Klinikum Grosshadern.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holtmann
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reiman
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*
vernacular_title: Zervikale Afferenzen und ihre Einbindung in die Gleichgewichtsregulation.