The vestibular nerve of the chinchilla. II. Relation between afferent response properties and peripheral innervation patterns in the semicircular canals

1. The relation between the response properties of semicircular canal afferents and their peripheral innervation patterns was studied by the use of intra-axonal labeling techniques. Fifty physiologically characterized units were injected with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or Lucifer yellow CH (LY) and their processes were traced to the crista. The resting discharge, discharge regularity, and responses to both externally applied galvanic currents and sinusoidal head rotations were determined for most neurons. Terminal fields were reconstructed and, as in the preceding paper, the fibers were classified as calyx, bouton, or dimorphic units. 2. To determine if the intra-axonal sample was representative, the physiological properties of the labeled units were compared with those of a sample of extracellularly recorded units. A comparison was also made between the morphology of the intra-axonal units and those labeled by extracellular injection of HRP into the vestibular nerve Most of the discrepancies between the intra-axonal and the two extracellular samples can be explained by assuming that small-diameter fibers are underrepresented in the former sample. 3. A normalized coefficient of variation (CV*), independent of discharge rate, was used to classify units as regular, intermediate, or irregular. The CV* ranged from 0.020 to 0.60. Regular units (CV* less than or equal to 0.10) outnumbered irregular units (CV* greater than or equal to 0.20) by an approximately 3:1 ratio and had higher resting discharges. 4. Calyx units were invariably irregular. The one recovered bouton unit was regular. The discharge regularity of dimorphic units was related to their epithelial location, with those found in the periphery of the crista having a more regular discharge than those located more centrally. Dimorphic units, even those with quite similar morphology, can differ in their discharge regularity. Calyx and dimorphic units, which differ in their morphology, can both be irregular. These observations imply that discharge regularity is not determined by the branching pattern of a fiber or the number and types of hair cells it contacts. 5. The galvanic sensitivity (beta*) of an afferent, irrespective of its peripheral innervation pattern, was strongly correlated with CV*. This is consistent with the notion that discharge regularity and galvanic sensitivity are causally related, both being determined by postspike recovery mechanisms of the afferent nerve terminal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The acetylcholine receptors of the semicircular canal in the frog (Rana pipiens)

We present preliminary evidence that acetylcholine has three distinct modes of action on the discharge rate of afferent fibers from the frog isolated semicircular canal. These are: (I) a facilitatory effect which is of mixed muscarinic-nicotinic type and is mediated by a receptor which we call "atropine-preferring'; (II) a suppressive effect unmasked by atropine and antagonized by strychnine whose action is mediated by a "strychnine-preferring" receptor; (III) a suppressive effect produced by the cholinesterase inhibitors eserine and echothiophate, which being antagonized by curare, is mediated by a "curare-preferring" receptor.

Ultrastructural study of calycine synaptic endings of colossal vestibular fibers in the cristae ampullares of the developing chick

Bipolar vestibular ganglion cells give rise to the colossal vestibular fibers in the chicken. These fibers form the largest calycine endings in the cristae ampullares and also the spoon endings in the tangential vestibular nucleus of the medulla oblongata. Because these synaptic endings are two of the largest and most distinctive in the vertebrate nervous system, they are especially suitable for comparisons of the development of synapses and synaptic endings of a specific cell type. An ultrastructural study of the spoon endings and quantitative data on their synapses were available from material of 15-day-old chick embryos, hatchlings, and 3-yr-old chickens. Here we provide similar data on the large calyces. Briefly, large calyces exhibited no ultrastructural changes corresponding to the changes in the spoon endings apparent when they retract from their target cell surfaces around hatching time. However, the concentration of the ribbon synapses at the large calyces decreased around hatching, when the concentration of the chemical synapses at the spoon endings declined. Moreover, the concentration of the ribbon synapses at the large calyces corresponded closely to the concentration of the chemical synapses at the spoon endings at the same age. Thus at the developmental ages studied, there were similar concentrations in the peripheral and central synapses formed at two different synaptic endings, both derived from one cell type and participating in the same neural pathway. These findings raise the issue of how synapses are regulated locally, but also suggest the possibility for central-peripheral interactions to produce correlative changes in parallel.

Properties and localization of the anterior semicircular canal-activated vestibulocollic neurons in the cat

Unit activities of secondary vestibular neurons that selectively responded to stimulation of the anterior semicircular canal nerve (ACN) were recorded extracellularly in the anesthetized cat. Axonal pathways and projections in the spinal cord of the ACN-activated neurons were examined by recording their antidromic responses to stimulation of the lateral and medial vestibulospinal tracts (LVST and MVST), and the bilateral neck extensor motoneuron pools in the C1 segment (C1 dorsal rami [DR] motoneuron pools). In order to determine whether the neurons had ascending axon collaterals to the extraocular motoneurons, the contralateral (c-) inferior oblique (IO) motoneuron pool was also stimulated. Twenty-seven neurons sent their axons to the ipsilateral (i-) C1DR motoneuron pool via the LVST without any projection to the extraocular motoneuron pool. All the cells except one were located in the ventral part of the lateral vestibular nucleus. This pathway produced monosynaptic EPSPs with short time-to-peak and short half-width in C1DR motoneurons (16/16 motoneurons). Eight neurons sent axons to the i-C1DR motoneuron pool via the MVST without any to the extraocular motoneuron pool. Cell somata were located in the descending nucleus or in the ventral part of the lateral nucleus. These neurons did not produce postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) in any C1DR motoneurons. All thirty-five neurons sending axons to the c-C1DR motoneuron pool have ascending axon collaterals to the c-IO motoneuron pool.

Spatial arrangement of the vestibular and the oculomotor system in the rat

The treatment of the spatial aspects of vestibular sensation, ocular movement near primary position, and their neural processing requires numerical information about the directions of maximal sensitivity of the semicircular canals (SCC), the direction of gaze at primary position, and the directions of eye rotation generated by each individual extraocular muscle (EOM). A good approximation of this information can be gained from stereotaxic measurements of the geometrical arrangement of the canals' bony structure, from measurements of the pupil's orientation, and from measurements of the directions of muscle pull as well as of the center of eye rotation. The results of measurements in pigmented rats are given as unit sensitivity vectors and unit action vectors in head-fixed coordinate systems and compared with data from rabbit, cat, monkey, and human. The misalignment of 'coplanar' SCC with 2.5-15.6 degrees is second only to humans, while the misalignment of the vectors of 'antagonistic' EOM with 27.2-39 degrees is even more oblique than in humans and thereby even more so than in the other mammals. Misalignment of SCC and 'corresponding' EOM with 15.5-34.2 degrees again is largest, followed by that in humans and then the other mammals. The rat may therefore be useful in studying those mechanisms by which the central nervous system deals with the obliqueness of systems that play such an important role in humans, too.

Inhibitory connections of ipsilateral semicircular canal afferents onto Renshaw cells in the lumbar spinal cord of the cat

1. In intercollicularly decerebrate cats, the excitability of lumbar spinal Renshaw cells (tested by single shocks to ventral roots and deafferented muscle nerves) decreased for 600-1000 ms after conditioning electrical stimulation of ipsilateral semicircular canal nerves. 2. Conditioning stimulation of posterior canal afferents and combined stimulation of anterior and lateral canal afferents were equally effective in causing inhibition of Renshaw cells. No significant differences were observed for Renshaw cells excitable from hind-limb flexor or extensor nerves. 3. Inhibition appeared when one to five stimuli were applied to the canal afferents and arrived at the spinal segmental level 11-15 ms after the onset of conditioning stimulation. 4. Evidence is adduced to suggest that the inhibitory effects on Renshaw cells following stimulation of semicircular canal afferents were mediated directly, i.e. they were not caused by alterations of motoneurone activity. 5. Excitation of Renshaw cells due to stimulation of the canal afferents was rarely observed; it could not be excluded that it was secondary to motoneurone discharges. 6. It is suggested that vestibular inhibition of Renshaw cells ensure a high gain of hind-limb alpha-motoneurones during postural adjustments following a massive disturbance of body equilibrium.

Vestibular nuclear neuron activity during active and passive head movement in the alert rhesus monkey

Responses of single neurons were recorded in the medial and descending vestibular nuclei (MVN and DVN) and in the deep cerebellar nuclei of three juvenile rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Neuronal activity was measured during both passive sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal whole body rotation (peak velocities were under 90 degrees/s) and during active head movements. Although the active head movements occasionally exceeded 300 degrees/s, most exhibited peak velocities of less than 200 degrees/s. A total of 133 units sensitive to horizontal head rotation were recorded, and of these, 38 were held for sufficient time to obtain both passive and active head movement data. Comparison of the neuronal firing patterns obtained during active and passive head movements revealed no apparent differences. Thus neurons that were observed to burst or pause during saccades with the head fixed continued to do so when the head was free. Both the sensitivity to head velocity and the "inferred" spontaneous firing rate were compared during active and passive head movements by plotting rate-velocity curves for both conditions. When the data points were fitted with linear regression lines, no statistically significant differences in either sensitivity or spontaneous rate were found. The present study provides no evidence that efferent vestibular activity alters the properties of afferent vestibular neurons during active head movements, as has previously been suggested (21). Furthermore, neurons in the rostral portions of the vestibular nuclei in primates encode head velocity based entirely on labyrinthine information. Neither neck proprioceptors nor an efference copy of the head movement motor program seem to contribute significantly to the firing patterns observed.

Adenosine is a modulator of hair cell-afferent neurotransmission

Adenosine has been implicated in neuromodulation in the central nervous system [(1985) Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 8, 103-124]. Its mechanism of action is thought to be a receptor-mediated inhibition of a transmitter release. To assess adenosine's role as a neuromodulator in the vestibular periphery, spontaneous activity of the afferent fibers in the ampullar nerve of the semicircular canal, in vitro, was used as the dependent variable. Afferent firing has been previously shown to depend on transmitter release by the hair cells [(1985) Brain Res. 330, 1-9]. Adenosine was shown to inhibit firing rate; the adenosine antagonist theophylline was shown to increase firing rate; the enzyme adenosine deaminase, which catabolizes adenosine to inosine, was shown to increase firing rate; the adenosine uptake inhibitor dipyridamole was shown to decrease firing rate; and adenosine was shown to be released from the isolated semicircular canal by electrical stimulation. All these findings are internally consistent and unreservedly support the hypothesis that adenosine has a neuromodulatory role in neurotransmission in the semicircular canal.

Coincidence detection in auditory neurons: a possible mechanism to enhance stimulus specificity in the grassfrog

It is still a matter of debate whether neurons in the higher central nervous system of anurans become progressively more sharply tuned to sounds that have a behavioral importance or that such coding is performed by (small) groups of neurons. The approach we have taken to investigate this matter comprises simultaneous single-unit recording using two microelectrodes in the auditory midbrain of the grassfrog. The present study deals with 96 pairs of units responding to an ensemble of natural and synthetic mating calls in which carrier frequency and pulse-repetition rate were varied. This ensemble was presented without noise and also with background noise of increasing intensity. The spike trains were analysed for correlations between their firings. In 34 pairs (35%) a functional connection, mostly common input, was present. By selecting one of the units of a pair as a trigger it was investigated which window for a coincidence analysis would result in enhanced specificity for the unit pair. Such an analysis based on a logical AND operation could be a model for the action of a neuron on which both units under study would converge, and which would then show an enhanced specificity in their response to a stimulus ensemble. It was found that in 20 pairs (21%) the logical AND operation was more selective than each of the component neurons. The largest time window for which the selectivity was found was evenly distributed over the values 8 ms, 32 ms and 128 ms, in one case selectivity was found only for a window of 2 ms. There was neither preference for selective pairs to be found for recordings with one electrode (45 cases) or dual electrodes (51), nor for independent (62) versus functionally connected (34) pairs. In some cases selectivity resulted in a preference for one specific call, in other cases it resulted in a loss of responsiveness to the masking noise effectively resulting in an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio. The analysis stresses the importance of spatiotemporal patterns of nervous activity for the representation of sounds in the auditory midbrain of anurans.

Distribution of vestibular afferents that innervate the sacculus and posterior canal in the gerbil

The central distribution of afferents that innervate the macula of the saccule and the crista of the posterior canal was assessed in the gerbil following the direct injection of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) separately into the sensory neuroepithelia of each peripheral receptor organ. Ganglion cells innervating the posterior canal were located in the caudal part of the inferior ganglion, while those cells innervating the saccule were located in the rostral part of the inferior ganglion, scattered in the superior ganglion, and concentrated at the junction (isthmus) between the two. The paths of the central axons of these two groups of ganglion cells through the vestibular root and their division into ascending or descending pathways were similar. However, the distributions of their terminals were different. The posterior canal projected to medial parts of the vestibular nuclear complex. Terminals were found in the medial and superior vestibular nuclei. The posterior canal also projected to the uvula of the cerebellum. The saccule projected to more lateral-lying brainstem areas. Terminal fields were located in the lateral and descending vestibular nuclei and cell group y. Saccule projections outside the vestibular complex were observed to the lateral cuneate nucleus, the N. gigantocellularis, and the cerebellar cortex. Of the eight areas receiving primary afferent projections from these two organs, only within the medial and descending vestibular nuclei and the cerebellar cortex were overlapping projections observed.

Projection of afferents from individual vestibular sense organs to the vestibular nuclei in the pigeon

The projection of individual labyrinthine sensory organs to the brain stem was studied by autoradiography, employing discrete [3H]leucine injections into the sensory epithelia. Within the vestibular nuclei, separate partly overlapping termination areas for each end organ were found in the superior and descending vestibular nuclei, whereas projection territories in the medial, ventrolateral and tangential nuclei overlapped extensively. A few lagenar fibres terminated in the external cuneate nucleus. Semicircular canals and utricular macula also project to the lateral cerebellar nucleus and the reticular formation. For each semicircular canal a projection system could be traced to distinct subgroups of the extraocular motoneuron pools.

Differential effect of ischemia on spontaneous and sinusoidal-evoked activity in semicircular canal afferents in the bullfrog

Spontaneous and sinusoidal-evoked nerve activity in semicircular canal afferent fibers of the bullfrog was evaluated prior to and following the production of ischemia of the labyrinthine arterial supply by mechanical occlusion of the vestibular artery. Neuronal spontaneous firing rates were observed to diminish by up to 100% within 10 min following the onset of ischemia. In most neurons there was a substantial increase in firing rate during the first few minutes. The sensitivity of the fibers to natural stimulation as determined by the gain in their responses to sinusoidal motion also diminished by as much as 75% over the same period. No detectable changes in the membrane potentials of the neurons were observed. The changes in excitability were closely correlated with the changes in spontaneous firing rate, but not all the neurons whose responses changed showed changes in spontaneous activity. Likewise, the relative magnitude of change varied from neuron to neuron.

Cholinomimetics mimic efferent effects on semicircular canal afferent activity in the frog

Acetylcholine (Ach) has received strong support as the neurotransmitter at vestibular efferent nerve endings. Ach, cholinomimetics and cholinergic antagonists were therefore applied to frog isolated whole labyrinths and isolated semicircular canals. Both spontaneous and evoked single unit and multiple unit activities were recorded from the decentralized posterior semicircular canal afferent nerve. In a manner analogous to efferent nerve stimulation, Ach produced both facilitatory and inhibitory changes in afferent firing rates. The facilitatory effect is likely mediated by muscarinic receptors (i.e. atropine antagonizes it at low concentrations). The facilitatory effect can also be elicited by muscarine and carbachol and it is likely produced presynaptically on the vestibular sensory cell. That is, the effects of Ach are not changed by removal of the efferent neurons but they are absent when afferent transmitter release is blocked. The inhibitory effect is not as well characterized as is the facilitatory effect but it can be blocked by strychnine. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that Ach is the transmitter responsible for both the facilitatory and the inhibitory effects of efferent vestibular nerve stimulation.

Morphology of vertical canal related second order vestibular neurons in the cat

The morphology of vertical canal related second order vestibular neurons in the cat was studied with the intracellular horseradish peroxidase method. Neurons were identified by their monosynaptic potentials following electrical stimulation via bipolar electrodes implanted into individual semicircular canal ampullae. Anterior and posterior canal neurons projected primarily to contralateral or ipsilateral motoneuron pools (excitatory and inhibitory pathways, respectively). The axons of contralaterally projecting neurons crossed the midline at the level of the abducens nucleus and bifurcated into an ascending and a descending main branch which travelled in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF). Two types of anterior canal neurons were observed, one with unilateral and one with bilateral oculomotor projection sites. For both neuron classes, the major termination sites were in the contralateral superior rectus and inferior oblique subdivisions of the oculomotor nucleus. In neurons which terminated bilaterally, major collaterals recrossed the midline within the oculomotor nucleus to reach the ipsilateral superior rectus motoneuron pool. Other, less extensive, termination sites of both neuron classes were in the contralateral vestibular nuclear complex, the facial nucleus, the medullary and pontine reticular formation, midline areas within and neighboring the raphé nuclei, and the trochlear nucleus. The ascending main axons continued further rostrally to reach the interstitial nucleus of Cajal and areas around the fasciculus retroflexus. The descending branches proceeded further caudal in the medial vestibulo-spinal tract but were not followed to their spinal target areas. In addition to two previously described posterior canal related neuron types (Graf et al. 1983), we found neurons with bilateral oculomotor terminals and a spinal collateral. Typical for posterior canal neurons, the major termination sites were in the trochlear nucleus (superior oblique motoneurons) and in the inferior rectus subdivision of the oculomotor nucleus. Axon collaterals recrossed the midline to reach ipsilateral inferior rectus motoneurons. The axons of ipsilaterally projecting neurons ascended through the reticular formation to join the MLF caudal to the trochlear nucleus. The main target sites of anterior canal related neurons were in the trochlear nucleus and the inferior rectus subdivision of the oculomotor nucleus. Minor collaterals reached the pontine reticular formation and areas in between the fiber bundles of the ipsilateral MLF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Some hydrodynamic properties of the posterior canal in the frog labyrinth related to neuronal responses

Measurements of the posterior-canal radius of curvature (R), the semicircular-duct radius (r) and the cupula radius (rC) were performed in the frog labyrinth. The Steinhausen-van Egmond equation led to an estimate of the canal endolymph flow, cupula deflection and sensory hair bending during constant angular accelerations (0.2-64 degrees/s2) of opposite directions and increasing duration (1.2-12 s). This analysis suggests that the non-linear canal afferent discharge behaviour exhibited by some units may not arise at the presynaptic level but rather postsynaptically, at the encoder site.

Organization of the efferent vestibular nuclei and nerves of the toadfish, Opsanus tau

The efferent vestibular nuclei and nerves were studied in the toadfish, Opsanus tau, with morphological and electrophysiological techniques. The origin and course of the efferent vestibular nerves was extensively documented. One major morphological observation was that the efferent nerves comprise a peripheral network that is anatomically distinct, and separable by dissection from the primary afferents innervated by each end organ. These anatomically distinct nerves are likely to be a major asset in physiological studies of efferent vestibular function. The retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) from each of the nerves innervating the vestibular and lateral line organs was used to delineate the subgroups of efferent neurons projecting to these end organs. The efferent vestibular nuclei are located in the posterior medulla in and around the median longitudinal fasciculi (MLF). We divided the nuclei cytoarchitecturally into lateral, medial, and dorsal subdivisions. The lateral cells had bilateral dendritic trees while the dorsal cells had ipsilateral, unilateral dendritic trees. There was a higher proportion of lateral cells that innervated the canal organs and the utricle while the dorsal cells tended to innervate the other organs. The total number of cells obtained by summing those from separate nerve label was twice the total cell count present in the nuclei. Indirectly, this indicates that some cells project to more than one end organ. Efferent neurons were penetrated with glass microelectrodes, and their end organs and patterns of connectivity with other end organs were investigated by stimulating various vestibular nerves. Posterior semicircular canal efferent cells are electrically coupled to each other and could be activated electrically or chemically by stimulating other ipsilateral or contralateral vestibular nerves. It is suggested that electrical coupling might be responsible for the uniform behavior of these cells under certain conditions. Morphological and physiological experiments suggested that the semicircular canals are innervated by their own, exclusive populations of efferent neurons while other end organs may share efferent innervation. Single cells were injected intracellularly with HRP and their morphology was studied and characterized by light microscopy. Intracellular label confirmed the morphological features demonstrated by retrograde transport of HRP and also revealed that some cells had central axon collaterals that terminated within the MLF. These morphological and physiological results provide a basis for understanding the behavior of efferent vestibular neurons in the alert animal.

Spontaneous activity of first-order horizontal canal neurons in the guinea pig

The spontaneous activity of the primary horizontal canal neurons was investigated in 12 alert albino guinea pigs. Seventy-one neurons were recorded for analyzing spontaneous activity. These neurons had an average resting rate of 46.6 +/- 20.9 spikes/sec and a range of 2.2 to 113.6 spikes/sec. This was significantly higher than previously reported data recorded from anesthetized guinea pigs. The neurons were classified into three groups from values of coefficient of variation; regular, intermediate, and irregular firing units. Of the 71 units measured, 42.3% were regular, 42.3% were intermediate, and 15.4% were irregular discharge units. The incidence of the irregular units was slightly lower than that in the anesthetized animals. The difference in resting activity of the primary neurons with or without general anesthesia is discussed.

Canal-neck interaction in vestibular neurons of the cat's cerebral cortex

Interaction of semicircular canal and neck proprioceptive inputs was studied in the cerebral cortex of awake, intact cats. Neuronal responses were recorded extracellularly in the anterior suprasylvian gyrus of the left hemisphere. Stimulations consisted of horizontal rotations in the dark applied as sinusoids or position ramps. There were three stimulus conditions: (1) Pure canal stimulation; rotation of whole body. (2) Pure neck stimulation; rotation of trunk about stationary head. (3) Canal-neck interaction; rotation of head about stationary trunk. We recorded 105 neurons with either Type I or Type II canal response. These showed often pronounced non-linearities such as a clear firing increase upon rotation in the "on-direction" and hardly any decrease in the opposite direction. The responses reflected mostly angular velocity, but angular position signals were also obtained. In 79 neurons, either Type I or Type II neck responses were obtained. They coded either angular velocity, velocity plus position, or position. Canal-neck convergence was found in 67 of 88 neurons tested. In the majority of neurons, interaction was "antagonistic" in the sense that the canal and neck responses tended to cancel each other during rotation of the head about the stationary trunk. These neurons could signal trunk rotation in space rather than head in space or head relative to trunk. Most of the remaining neurons showed a "synergistic" interaction such that the response upon head rotation was enhanced as compared to whole body or trunk rotation. These neurons might be involved in the dual task of monitoring head rotation in space and relative to trunk. Interaction was compatible with linear summation of canal and neck inputs in 70% of the neurons. In part of these, however, the assumption had to be made that the interaction had taken place already at some stage prior to the cortical neurons investigated. The response characteristics of cortical canal neurons are discussed in comparison to vestibular nuclear neurons. Furthermore, parallels are drawn between the observed canal-neck interactions in the cortical neurons and (i) interactions of canal and neck dependent postural reflexes in the decerebrate cat, and (ii) interactions of canal and neck induced turning sensations in man.