Directional excitability of the utricle: a study by thermoconvective stimulation.
The frog utricular macula was stimulated by thermoconvective flow in four different directions. The evoked utricular nerve action potentials were recorded via a glass suction electrode. The maximum spikes and the time constants of the potentials were counted. The spike counts and the time constants were not significantly different among stimuli. This suggests that the utricle has the same physiological excitability to any directional stimulus.
Department of Otolaryngology, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
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Suzuki
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Aoki
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Kadir
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000388:Air; D000818:Animals; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D011892:Rana catesbeiana; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000294:innervation* / Q000502:physiology*; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000502:physiology