TY - JOUR
T1 - Head-shaking nystagmus during vestibular compensation in humans and rhesus monkeys
AU - Fetter, Michael
AU - Zee, David S.
AU - Koenig, Eberhard
AU - Dichgans, Johannes
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Mrs G. Schoenwaelder for technical assistance with ENG recording. This research was supported by Grant Fe 237/1-1 + 1-2 (M. F.) and SFB 307, A2 (M. F., E. K., J. D.)f rom the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Research Grant EY-01849 and Core Grant EY-01765 (D.S . Z.) from the National Eye Institute.
PY - 1990
Y1 - 1990
N2 - Nystagmus evoked after rapid horizontal head-shaking is believed to be a sensitive indication of the existence and location of a unilateral vestibular lesion. Its origin is the directional asymmetry in vestibular responses of the healthy labyrinth (Ewald's second law). For nystagmus to appear after the head has stopped moving, however, the direction-ally asymmetric responses must have been stored during the head-shaking to be discharged afterwards. Our results confirm the notion that head-shaking nystagmus is most likely generated by a directional preponderance in vestibular responses but only in combination with a functioning central velocity-storage mechanism. If velocity-storage is lost completely, as may occur during the acute phase of a unilateral peripheral vestibular lesion, even a large vestibular preponderance does not lead to head-shaking nystagmus. Thus, to interpret the results of the head-shaking test the condition of the velocity-storage mechanism must be taken into account.
AB - Nystagmus evoked after rapid horizontal head-shaking is believed to be a sensitive indication of the existence and location of a unilateral vestibular lesion. Its origin is the directional asymmetry in vestibular responses of the healthy labyrinth (Ewald's second law). For nystagmus to appear after the head has stopped moving, however, the direction-ally asymmetric responses must have been stored during the head-shaking to be discharged afterwards. Our results confirm the notion that head-shaking nystagmus is most likely generated by a directional preponderance in vestibular responses but only in combination with a functioning central velocity-storage mechanism. If velocity-storage is lost completely, as may occur during the acute phase of a unilateral peripheral vestibular lesion, even a large vestibular preponderance does not lead to head-shaking nystagmus. Thus, to interpret the results of the head-shaking test the condition of the velocity-storage mechanism must be taken into account.
KW - Ewald's second law
KW - Unilateral labyrinthectomy
KW - Unilateral vestibular hypofunction
KW - Velocity storage mechanism
KW - Vestibulo-ocular reflex
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U2 - 10.3109/00016489009122534
DO - 10.3109/00016489009122534
M3 - Article
C2 - 2239204
AN - SCOPUS:0025078253
SN - 0001-6489
VL - 110
SP - 175
EP - 181
JO - Acta Oto-Laryngologica
JF - Acta Oto-Laryngologica
IS - 3-4
ER -