Role of cholinergic mossy fibers in vestibular nuclei in the development of vestibular compensation.
Several lines of evidence have suggested that acetylcholine is a possible neurotransmitter/neuromodulator involved in vestibular compensation. However, details of cholinergic effective sites during vestibular compensation remain unclear. In this study, we selectively damaged the rat vestibulo-floccular cholinergic mossy fibers using ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion. In these animals, unilateral labyrinthectomy caused more severe vestibulo-ocular deficits, especially in the initial stage. These findings suggest that the vestibulo-floccular cholinergic mossy fibers serve to restore the balance between intervestibular nuclear activities in order to induce vestibular compensation in the initial stage.
Kitahara
T
T
Department of Otolaryngology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Osaka, Japan. tkitahara@ent.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
Fukushima
M
M
Takeda
N
N
Saika
T
T
Uno
A
A
Kubo
T
T
D000818:Animals; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000378:metabolism*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012021:Reflex, Abnormal / Q000502:physiology*; D012027:Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000378:metabolism*