title: Functional recovery after extra-ocular muscle deafferentation in the rabbit.
abstract: The present research analysed on chronic animals the functional recovery of eye motility after impairment of the proprioceptive input at the level of the semilunar ganglion. The horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (HVOR) was recorded in normal pigmented rabbits before and after a partial electrolytic lesion of the semilunar ganglion. The recordings were repeated daily for 8-10 days to evaluate the recovery. Immediately after the lesion, as previously observed, HVOR slow phases were unaffected, while quick phases (QPs) showed a reduction in peak velocity and a deviation of trajectories from the horizontal plane. QP peak velocity was almost completely restored within 3-5 days, while trajectory deviation was not corrected during the observation period. Furthermore, in some animals, the variability of trajectories showed, starting from days 3-5, a progressive increase that led to a greater spatial disorganization. A process of lesion-induced plasticity takes place. but only the velocity of QPs can be recovered rapidly, while the QP trajectory impairment does not appear to be compensated substantially, which underlines a determinant role in the control of QP spatial orientation exerted by EOM proprioceptive signals.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Physiology, Catholic University of Rome, Italy. aldo.ferraresi@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferraresi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Troiani
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Azzena
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manni
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000294:innervation*; D009882:Ophthalmic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion / Q000502:physiology*