title: Afferents and efferents of the vestibular nuclei: the necessity of context-specific interpretation.
abstract: A synopsis of physiological and anatomical results is presented that leads to the conclusion that experimental data have to be interpreted in a context meaningful for the system investigated. For example, since there is an obvious spatial relationship between semicircular canals and extraocular muscles, the interdependence between the three-neurone-arc circuitry, and vestibular and visual signals follows quite naturally from a common geometry inherent in the sensory and motor periphery. It is emphasized that signals related to compensatory eye movements have to be interpreted within a vestibular/eye muscle frame of reference. By the same argument, when dealing with the head-neck movement system, the appropriate reference frame will have to be applied to arrive at a meaningful interpretation of related sensorimotor functions. Thus, in general terms, each system has to be interpreted within its own meaningful biological context.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*