Three-dimensional analysis of eye movements induced by off-vertical axis rotation

Abstract

Off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) is a method to stimulate the otolith organ. In order to elucidate the function of the otolith organ, we analyzed three-dimensional eye movements by video-oculographic technique during OVAR in 30 normal subjects. The eye movements induced by OVAR stimulation have two components: a constant horizontal deviation in the direction opposite to the rotation known as the bias component, and sinusoidal amplitude changes of eye movements known as the modulation component. Modulation components were detected in the horizontal, vertical, and torsional eye movements, but the bias components were only detected in the horizontal eye movements. The modulation components may compensate for changes in head orientation with respect to gravity. Since the bias component is caused by the velocity storage mechanism, the lack of bias components in vertical and torsional eye movements may suggest its specific relation to only horizontal eye movements. Our results also demonstrated that torsional and horizontal eye movements may originate from the utricle, whereas vertical eye movement may originate from the saccule. However, a lag phase between torsional and horizontal eye movements suggests that the most effective direction for stimulation of these two eye movements may be different.