title: Interactions between the vestibular nucleus and the dorsal cochlear nucleus: implications for tinnitus.
abstract: The peripheral auditory and vestibular systems are recognised to be closely related anatomically and physiologically; however, less well understood is the interaction of these two sensory systems in the brain. A number of previous studies in different species have reported that the dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei receive direct projections from the primary vestibular nerve and one previous study had reported projections from the vestibular nucleus to the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) in rabbit. Recently, Barker et al. (2012 PLoS One. 7(5): e35955) have reported new evidence that the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) projects to the DCN in rat and that these synapses are mediated by glutamate acting on AMPA and NMDA receptors. These recent findings, in addition to the earlier ones, suggest that the auditory and vestibular systems may be intimately connected centrally as well as peripherally and this may have important implications for disorders such as tinnitus.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medical Sciences, The Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. paul.smith@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018698:Glutamic Acid