[Activity of neurons of the guinea pig lateral vestibular nucleus evoked by tilting about a longitudinal axis during locomotion]

Abstract

The activity of neurons of the lateral vestibular nucleus evoked by tilting about a longitudinal axis during spontaneous and mesencephalon stimulation-evoked locomotion have been investigated in the decerebrated guinea pig. In the vast majority of the investigated neurons the locomotor activity has led to changes in the responses to adequate vestibular stimulation. The enhancement of the responses is observed in almost all of the vestibulospinal neurons and in two thirds of neurons without descending projections. The diminishing of the responses is registered only in one quarter of neurons that do not projected to the spinal cord. Changes in responses are of the amplitude pattern. The angle lag value of these changes relative to acceleration that appears during the motion is quite constant. It is suggested that the observed enhancement of dynamic reactions of vestibular neurons provides the maintenance of the animal equilibrium during locomotion by different gaits and trajectories.