Effect of caloric stimulation on primary vestibular fibers originating from otolith organs in the guinea pig.

Abstract

The influence of caloric stimulation on the primary vestibular fibers originating from the otolith organ was investigated in the guinea pig. Firing rates were recorded from single vestibular neurons in the superior vestibular (Scarpa's) ganglion which were identified physiologically as originating from the otolith organs, mainly from the utricles. Eighty-six percent of the neurons responded to caloric stimulation. Neurons with a high coefficient of variation of firing regularity reacted more sensitively to tilting and also had a tendency to react more sensitively to caloric stimulation. There was a tendency for neurons with increased firing rates in response to ipsilateral tilting to have increased firing rates to warm stimulation, while neurons whose rates increased to contralateral tilting had increased firing rates to cold stimulation. These results indicate that the otolith organs have the same unidirectional tendency to caloric simulation with results comparable to optimal tilting directions.