Off-axis rotation as a test of otolith function.

Abstract

This experiment was performed to determine whether linear acceleration causes a change in the vestibulo-linear reflex (VOR) that could be exploited as a research and/or clinical test of otolith function. The effect of otolith stimulation on the VOR was studied in the horizontal and vertical planes in 10 cats. The VOR was induced by pulses of angular acceleration (velocity ramps). During some of the test runs, a centripetal linear acceleration stimulus was also applied to stimulate the otolith organs. Using the stimuli combination as tested in this project, the authors found that otolith stimulation affected the vertical VOR but not the horizontal VOR. The vertical VOR was asymmetric. While the methods used in this study are useful and the equipment requirements make these techniques generally impractical for clinical testing.