Contributions of single semicircular canals to caloric nystagmus as revealed by canal plugging in rhesus monkeys

Abstract

We demonstrated specific responses from the anterior and the posterior semicircular canal to irrigation of the outer ear canal with cold water in the Rhesus monkey. This required i) three-dimensional analysis of the evoked eye movements in the planes of the semicircular canals (canal plane vectors, CPV); ii) assessing these CPV responses in eight different head positions relative to gravity; iii) comparing the responses in 6 normal animals (12 ears) with responses after selective plugging of pairs of semicircular canals (all, both lateral, and right anterior + left posterior). The results showed: i) Irrigation of the outer ear canal with cold water induces thermoconvection also in the posterior and anterior semicircular canals. This can be inferred from the sinusoidal modulation of eye movement components with changes in position of the corresponding semicircular canal plane relative to gravity; ii) Specific vertical canal responses occur exclusively in the direction of the corresponding semicircular canal, though they are superimposed with response components of other origin, one probably related to endolymph shift in the lateral semicircular canal; iii) before possible clinical application, these different response components of vertical canals will need to be determined in humans.