• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.1 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 1997

To search the correlations between electrical activity and c-Fos expression in the process of vestibular compensation, we examined the changes of those two parameters in the medial vestibular nuclei (MVN) of unilaterally labyrinthectomized (ULX) rats. Spontaneous nystagmus with fast component toward the intact side disappeared gradually within 48 hours. Fourty eight hours after ULX, directional preponderance of the eye movement induced by sinusoidal rotation of the whole body which represents the symmetry of bilateral vestibular functions showed less than 20% by rotation of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 Hz, indicating the recovery of symmetry in bilateral vestibular functions. Six hours after ULX, spontaneous electrical activity of type I neurons resulted in asymmetry between bilateral MVN, however, the asymmetry of the electrical activity was decreased 48 hours after ULX. Immunocytochemical staining revealed that ULX produced dramatic induction of c-Fos positive cells in the MVN bilaterally. The number of c-Fos immunoreactive cells in the contralateral MVN was significantly higher than those in the ipsilateral MVN (p＜0.0001) 2 hours after ULX. Thereafter, the number of c-Fos positive cells decreased bilaterally and was slightly, but not significantly higher in the ipsilateral MVN at 48 hours after ULX. The present results suggest that both electrical activity of type I neurons and c-Fos expression in MVN following ULX will reflect underlying mechanisms of recovery process of vestibular compensation.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.193-197
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• 2002

In spite of abundant anatomical evidences for the fiber connection between vestibular nuclei and inferior olivary (IO) complex, the transmission of vestibular information through the vestibulo- olivo-cerebellar climbing fiber pathway has not been physiologically established. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether there are IO neurons specifically responding to horizontal rotation and also in which subregions of IO complex these vestibularly-activated neurons are located. The extracellular recording was made in 68 IO neurons and responses of 46 vestibularly-activated cells were analyzed. Most of the vestibularly-activated IO neurons responded to signals of vertical rotation (roll), while a small number (13/46) of recorded cells were activated by horizontal canal signal (yaw). Regardless of yaw-sensitive or roll-sensitive, vestibular IO neurons were excited, when the animal was rotated to the side contralateral to the recording side. The gain and excitation phase were very similar to otolithic or vertical-canal responses. Histologic identification of recording sites showed that most of vestibular IO neurons were located in ${\beta}$ subnucleus. Electrical stimulation of a HSC evoked an inhibitory effect on the excitability of the ipsilateral IO neurons. These results suggest that IO neurons mainly in the ${\beta}$ subnucleus receive vestibular signals from semicircular canals and otolithic organs, encode them, and transmit vestibular information to the cerebellum.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.49-56
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• 1972

This experiment was designed to explore specific functional relationship between the vestibular canals and the extraocular oblique muscles by observing the isometric tension responeses of the muscles to the selected vestibular canal excitation. The vestibular excitation was simulated by either stimulation of the individual canal nerve or endolymphatic fluid displacement in each canal. Each canal nerve was subjected to square wave pulses with a monopolar wire electrode placed closely to the ampullary nerve endings for electrical stimulation, and a fine stainless cannula was introduced into the each canal toward the ampulla and a minute amount $(0.5{\sim}3.5\;microliter)$ of fluid was injected in or ejected out by means of a microsyringe connected to the cannula to produce ampullopetal or ampullofugal displacement of endolymphatic fluid. The superior oblique muscle was contracted by the excitation of homolateral canals and was relaxed by contralateral canals. On the contrary, the inferior oblique was contracted by the contralateral canals and was relaxed by the homolateral canals. Summation of excitatory and inhibitory canal effects from the bilateral vestibular system was demonstrable on the tension changes of the oblique muscles. Excitation of either dual or triple canals of the unilateral vestibular system also caused summation effect on the tension response of the oblique pair; thus multiple signals from the different ampullary receptors seems to be converged into the relevant ocular motor muclei. Since the superior and inferior obliques are known to receive their motor fibers from the contralateral trochlear nuclei and intermediate nuclei of the homolateral oculomotor complex respectively, the above experimental evidences indicate that the ocular motor nuclei for oblique muscles receive excitatory signals from the contralateral vestibular canals and inhibitory signals from the homolateral canals.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.27-42
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• 2009

Objectives : The vestibular system detects head movement and serve to regulate and maintain the equilibrium and orientation of the body. It is known that the vestibular imbalance leads to vestibular symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, vertigo and postural disturbance. The objectives of the present study were to examine a modification of the dynamic activities of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons following electroacupuncture (EA) of GB43 (Hyepgye). Methods : In Sprague-Dawley rats weighing $250{\sim}300g$, dynamic responses induced by sinusoidal whole body rotation about vertical axis at 0.2 Hz were observed in MVN of rats during EA of GB43 (Hyepgye) with 0.2 ms, 40 Hz and $600{\pm}200{\mu}A$. Also, expression of cFos protein was observed 2 hours after EA for 30 mins. Results : In dynamic response of vestibular neuron, the excitatory or inhibitory responses of gain were predominant in the ipsilateral MVN neurons during EA but not predominant in the contralateral MVN. Most neurons showing decreased gain were classified to inhibitory responses of spontaneous firing discharge during EA and ones showing increased gain were classified to excitatory response of spontaneous firing discharge during EA. Also, EA of the left GB43 (Hyepgye) for 30 mins produced the expression of cFos protein in MVN, inferior olive (IO) and solitary tract nuclei (SOL). Spatial expressions of cFos protein were predominant in the contralateral MVN, ipsilateral IO and bilateral SOL. Conclusion : These results suggest that the excitability of MVN neurons was influenced by EA of GB43 (Hyepgye) and EA may be related to the convergence on MVN.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2006

Coeruleo-vestibular pathway which connects locus coeruleus and vestibular nuclei is noradrenergic. This study was designed to elucidate the effects of phenylephrine on the spontaneous activity of acutely isolated medial vestibular nuclear neurons of rat by whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 14 to 16 days, were used. After enzymatic digestion, dissociated medial vestibular neurons were transferred to a recording chamber mounted on an inverted microscope, and spontaneous action potentials were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques. In current-clamp mode, the frequency of spontaneous action potential of medial vestibular nuclear neurons was decreased by phenylephrine (n=15). Phenylephrine increased the amplitude of afterhyperpolarization without changes in the resting membrane potential and spike width. In voltage-clamp mode, the whole potassium currents of the medial vestibular nuclear neurons were increased by phenylephrine (n=12). These experimental results suggest that ${\alpha}-receptor$ mediates the inhibitory effects on the neuronal activity of the medial vestibular nuclear neuron.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.481-490
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• 1999

To investigate the changes in the responses of vestibular neurons with time during vestibular compensation, the resting activity and dynamic responses of type I and II neurons in the medial vestibular nuclei to sinusoidal angular acceleration were recorded following unilateral labyrinthectomy (ULX) in Sprague-Dawley rats. The unitary extracellular neuronal activity was recorded from the bilateral medial vestibular nuclei with stainless steel microelectrodes of $3{\sim}5\;M{\Omega}$ before ULX, and 6, 24, 48, 72 hours, and 1 week after ULX under pentobarbital sodium anesthesia (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Gain (spikes/s/deg/s) and phase (in degrees) were determined from the neuronal activity induced by sinusoidal head rotation with 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 Hz. The mean resting activity before ULX was $16.7{\pm}8.6$ spikes/s in type I neurons $(n=67,\;M{\pm}SD)$ and $14.5{\pm}8.4$ spikes/s in type II neurons (n=43). The activities of ipsilateral type I and contralateral type II neurons to the lesion side decreased markedly till 24 hr post-op, and a significant difference between ipsilateral and contralateral type I neurons sustained till 24 hr post-op. The gain at 4 different frequencies of sinusoidal rotation was depressed in all neurons till 6 or 24 hr post-op and then increased with time. The rate of decrease in gain was more prominent in ipsilateral type I and contralateral type II neurons immediately after ULX. Although the gain of those neurons increased gradually after 24 hours, it remained below normal levels. The phase was significantly advanced in all neurons following ULX. These results suggest that a depression of activities in ipsilateral type I and contralateral type II neurons is closely related with the occurrence of vestibular symptoms and restoration of activities in those neurons ameliorates the vestibular symptoms.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 1974

This experiment was designed to explore the specific functional interrelations between the vestibular semicircular canals and the extraocular muscles which may disclose the neural organization, connecting the vestibular canals and each ocular motor nuclei in the brain system, for vestibuloocular reflex mechanism. In urethane anesthetized rabbits, a fine wire insulated except the cut cross section of its tip was inserted into the canals closely to the ampullary receptor organs through the minute holes provided on the osseous canal wall for monopolar stimulation of each canal nerve. All extraocular muscles of both eyes were ligated and cut at their insertio, and the isometric tension and EMG responses of the extraocular muscles to the vestibular canal nerve stimulation were recorded by means of a physiographic recorder. Upon stimulation of the semicircular canal nerve, direction if the eye movement was also observed. The experimental results were as follows. 1) Single canal nerve stimulation with high frequency square waves (240 cps, 0. 1 msec) caused excitation of three extraocular muscles and inhibition of remaining three muscles in the bilateral eyes; stimulation of any canal nerve of a unilateral labyrinth caused excitation (contraction) of the superior rectus, superior oblique and medial rectus muscles and inhibition (relaxation) of the inferior rectus, inferior oblique and lateral rectos muscles in the ipsilateral eye, and it caused the opposite events in the contralateral eye. 2) By the overlapped stimulation of triple canal nerves of a unilateral labyrinth, unidirectional (excitatory or inhibitory) summation of the individual canal effects on a given extraocular muscles was demonstrated, and this indicates that three different canals of a unilateral vestibular system exert similar effect on a given extraocular muscles. 3) Based on the above experimental evidences, a simple rule by which one can define the vestibular excitatory and inhibitory input sources to all the extraocular muscles is proposed; the superior rectus, superior oblique and medial rectus muscles receive excitatory impulses from the ipsilateral vestibular canals, and the inferior rectus, inferior oblique and lateral rectus muscles from the contralateral canals; the opposite relationship applies for vestibular inhibitory impulses to the extraocular muscles. 4) According to the specific direction of the eye movements induced by the individual canal nerve stimulation, an extraocutar muscle exerting major role (a muscle of primary contraction) and two muscles of synergistic contraction could be differentiated in both eyes. 5) When these experimental results were compared to the well known observations of Cohen et al. (1964) made in the cats, extraocular muscles of primary contraction were the same but those of synergistic contraction were partially different. Moreover, the oblique muscle responses to each canal nerve excitation appeared to be all identical. However, the responnes of horizontal (medial and lateral) and vertical (superior and inferior) rectus muscles showed considerable differences. By critical analysis of these data, the author was able to locate theoretical contradictions in the observations of Cohen et al. but not in the author's results. 6) An attempt was also made to compare the functional observation of this experiment to the morphological findings of Carpenter and his associates obtained by degeneration experiments in the monkeys, and it was able to find some significant coincidence between there two works of different approach. In summary, the author has demonstrated that the well known observations of Cohen et al. on the vestibulo-ocular interrelation contain important experimental errors which can he proved by theoretical evaluation and substantiated by a series of experiments. Based on such experimental evidences, a new rule is proposed to define the interrelation between the vestibular canals and the extraocular muscles.