Modification of the balance and gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the cat.
The characteristics of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) of a normal cat can be modified in response to visual demands. Two aspects of the VOR are modifiable independently by a normal cat: the gain and the balance. An imbalance results in a spontaneous nystagmus and an asymmetric VOR. Neither the gain nor the balance of a dark-reared cat's VOR is susceptible to visual modification. A cat whose crossed visual pathways are severed at the level of the optic chiasm is able to modify the gain of the VOR but not its balance. Both dark-reared and split-chiasm cats have only very short-lasting optokinetic after-nystagmus.
D000064:Acclimatization; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D003624:Darkness; D005133:Eye Movements; D008027:Light; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012022:Reflex, Acoustic; D012025:Reflex, Pupillary