가토(家兎)에 있어서 전정반규관(前庭半規管)의 외안사근(外眼斜筋)에 관(對)한 흥분적(興奮的) 작용(作用)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)

Excitatory Effect of Vestibular Canals on Extraocular Oblique Muscles in Rabbits

The present experiment was carried out to elucidate interrelation between the vestibular canals and the extraocular oblique muscles. In urethane anesthetized rabbits, excitatory or inhibitory effect of the canal was produced by three different methods; selective electrical stimulation of the ampullary nerve, bidirectional (ampullofugal or ampullopetal) lymphatic fluid flow, and rapid freezing of the canal. Changes of isometric tension as well as electro-myographic activity of the oblique muscles were recorded in the ipsilateral and contralateral eyes, by means of a polygraphic recorder, and the following results were obtained. 1) Electrical stimulation of a unilateral vertical or horizontal nerve caused contraction of superior oblique muscle and relaxation of inferior oblique muscle in the ipsilateral eye, and contraction of inferior oblique muscle and relaxation of superior oblique muscle in the contralateral eye. 2) Ampullofugal flow in a vertical canal and ampullopetal flow in a horizontal canal caused the oblique muscle responses which were identical to those responses produced by the electrical stimulation of the same canal nerve. 3) Rapid freezing of a vertical canal elicited the oblique muscle responses which were opposite to those caused by electrical stimulation of the same canal nerve. From the above experimental results, functional interrelation between the individual vestibular canal and bilateral extraocular oblique muscles were better elucidated. When these results were compared to those reported by previous investigators (Utzumi, Suzuki et al.), some important discrepancies were found between them. We ascribed such discrepancies to experimental errors of the previous investigators, since their results reflected theoretical contradictions in terms of vestibular eye movements.