Summary
Stimulation of the vestibular nerve induced EPSPs monosynaptically in 29% of cat's Deiters neurones sampled on the ipsilateral side. These EPSPs started with latencies of 0.6–1.0 msec, rose sharply with a summit time of 0.5 msec and decayed exponentially with a time constant of 0.9–1.7 msec. Then amplitudes were graded finely according to the intensity of the vestibular nerve stimulation, the maximal size being 5–10 mV. The unitary EPSPs, evoked by vestibular nerve stimulation at juxta-threshold intensity or appearing spontaneously, were as small as 0.2–0.3 mV in amplitude. Those neurones monosynaptically activated by vestibular nerve volleys were located in the ventral portion of the nucleus of Deiters, in agreement with histological data. The vestibular nerve impulses also produced delayed EPSPs with latencies of 1.0–1.8 msec, presumably disynaptically. They occurred in many Deiters neurones located not only ventrally but also dorsally. Even later EPSPs often were superposed on the monosynaptic EPSPs with latencies of 1.9–2.2 msec. There is evidence that they were caused by repetitive discharges in the vestibular nerve fibres which occur in response to single shock stimulation of the vestibular nerve. IPSPs were produced only polysynaptically in some Deiters neurones in association with the monosynaptic EPSPs.
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Ito, M., Hongo, T. & Okada, Y. Vestibular-evoked postsynaptic potentials in Deiters neurones. Exp Brain Res 7, 214–230 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239030
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00239030