Eye movements produced by utricular and saccular stimulation.
This study investigated the direction of eye movements produced by localized high frequency electrical stimulation of spots on the utricular and saccular macula in lightly anesthetized guinea pigs using fine bipolar stimulating electrodes to minimize current spread and attempting to keep the other labyrinthine sensory regions functional. Threshold stimulating currents produced upward or upward-torsional movements of the ipsilateral eye. There was no evidence of different directions of eye movements corresponding to different hair cell orientations, nor was there evidence of opposite directions of eye movements produced by stimulation on opposite sides of the striola. These results are not consistent with the earlier report of Fluur and Mellström (8-10) and reasons for this conflict are considered.
Curthoys
I S
IS
Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005133:Eye Movements; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000502:physiology; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000502:physiology*