Afferent pathways to the region of the vestibular nuclei that participates in cardiovascular and respiratory control

Jian, Brian J.; Acernese, A.W.; Lorenzo, José Luis Bailén; Card, J. Patrick; Yates, Bill J.

doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2005.03.010

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, it is also believed that the vestibulosympathetic reflexes induced by sGVS originate in the otoliths, rather than the semi-circular canals (Cohen et al 2012); this fits with the subjective reports of swaying from side to side, rather than spinning around. We also know from animal work that the vestibular nuclei project to the medullary raphé, which also projects to NTS (Jian et al 2005). These observations suggest convergence of inputs from the vestibular nuclei onto the medullary raphé, further emphasising the role of the vestibular apparatus in the control of vasomotor and sudomotor activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Low-frequency galvanic vestibular stimulation evokes two peaks of modulation in skin sympathetic nerve activity

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have previously shown that sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation (sGVS), delivered bilaterally at 0.2-2.0 Hz, evokes a potent entrainment of sympathetic outflow to muscle and skin. Most recently, we showed that stimulation at 0.08-0.18 Hz generates two bursts of modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), more pronounced at 0.08 Hz, which we interpreted as reflecting bilateral projections from the vestibular nuclei to the medullary nuclei responsible for the generation of MSNA. Here, we test the hypothesis that these very low frequencies of sGVS modulate skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) in a similar fashion. SSNA was recorded via tungsten microelectrodes inserted into the left common peroneal nerve in 11 awake-seated subjects. Bipolar binaural sGVS (±2 mA, 100 cycles) was applied to the mastoid processes at 0.08, 0.13 and 0.18 Hz. As with MSNA, cross-correlation analysis revealed two bursts of modulation of SSNA for each cycle of stimulation but, unlike MSNA, this modulation was equally pronounced at all frequencies. These results further support our conclusion that bilateral sGVS causes cyclical modulation of the left and right vestibular nerves and a resultant modulation of sympathetic outflow that reflects the summed activity of bilateral projections from the vestibular nuclei onto, in this case, the primary output nuclei responsible for SSNA-the medullary raphé. Furthermore, these findings emphasise the role of the vestibular system in the control of skin sympathetic outflow, and the cutaneous expression of motion sickness: pallor and sweat release. Indeed, vestibular modulation of SSNA was higher in those subjects reporting nausea than in those who did not report nausea during this low-frequency sGVS.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Low-frequency galvanic vestibular stimulation evokes two peaks of modulation in skin sympathetic nerve activity

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Efferent projections from the vestibular nuclei extend to numerous areas of the central nervous system, such as the spinal cord, cerebellum, cerebral cortex and the cranial nerve nuclei controlling the extrinsic eye muscles (Gacek 1979;Minor and Goldberg 1991). In addition, data from experimental animals have shown that the vestibular nuclei project to areas within the brainstem involved in cardiovascular control, with vestibulosympathetic reflexes participating in the control of blood flow and blood pressure (Doba and Reis 1974;Yates et al 1991Yates et al , 1993Yates et al , 1995Balaban and Beryozkin 1994;Porter and Balaban 1997;Jian et al 2005;Kerman et al 2000). Moreover, direct recordings of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in awake humans have provided evidence for the existence of potent vestibulosympathetic reflexes in humans, as demonstrated through the application of caloric vestibular stimulation (Cui et al 1997), head-down neck flexion (Shortt and Ray 1997;Hume and Ray 1999), off verticalaxis rotation (Kaufmann et al 2002) and linear sinusoidal acceleration in the horizontal plane (Cui et al 1999(Cui et al , 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Low-frequency physiological activation of the vestibular utricle causes biphasic modulation of skin sympathetic nerve activity in humans

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We have previously shown that sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation, a means of selectively modulating vestibular afferent activity, can cause partial entrainment of sympathetic outflow to muscle and skin in human subjects. However, it influences the firing of afferents from the entire vestibular apparatus, including the semicircular canals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that selective stimulation of one set of otolithic organs-those located in the utricle, which are sensitive to displacement in the horizontal axis-could entrain sympathetic nerve activity. Skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA) was recorded via tungsten microelectrodes inserted into cutaneous fascicles of the common peroneal nerve in 10 awake subjects, seated (head vertical, eyes closed) on a motorised platform. Slow sinusoidal accelerations-decelerations (~4 mG) were applied in the X (antero-posterior) or Y (medio-lateral) direction at 0.08 Hz; composite movements in both directions were also applied. Subjects either reported feeling a vague sense of movement (with no sense of direction) or no movement at all. Nevertheless, cross-correlation analysis revealed a marked entrainment of SSNA for all types of movements: vestibular modulation was 97 ± 3 % for movements in the X axis and 91 ± 5 % for displacements in the Y axis. For each sinusoidal cycle, there were two major peaks of modulation-one associated with acceleration as the platform moved forward or to the side, and one associated with acceleration in the opposite direction. We interpret these observations as reflecting inertial displacement of the stereocilia within the utricle during acceleration, which causes a robust vestibulosympathetic reflex.

show abstract

“…Anatomical studies have indicated that this region receives inputs from receptors in the neck, limbs and viscera (Bankoul et al 1995;Jian et al 2005). Physiological studies have confirmed that the activity of a majority of CVN neurons is modulated by visceral and limb sensory signals (Jian et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Responses of caudal vestibular nucleus neurons of conscious cats to rotations in vertical planes, before and after a bilateral vestibular neurectomy

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although many previous experiments have considered the responses of vestibular nucleus neurons to rotations and translations of the head, little data are available regarding cells in the caudalmost portions of the vestibular nuclei (CVN), which mediate vestibulo-autonomic responses among other functions. This study examined the responses of CVN neurons of conscious cats to rotations in vertical planes, both before and after a bilateral vestibular neurectomy. None of the units included in the data sample had eye movement-related activity. In labyrinth-intact animals, some CVN neurons (22%) exhibited graviceptive responses consistent with inputs from otolith organs, but most (55%) had dynamic responses with phases synchronized with stimulus velocity. Furthermore, the large majority of CVN neurons had response vector orientations that were aligned either near the roll or vertical canal planes, and only 18% of cells were preferentially activated by pitch rotations. Sustained head-up rotations of the body provide challenges to the cardiovascular system and breathing, and thus the response dynamics of the large majority of CVN neurons were dissimilar to those of posturally-related autonomic reflexes. These data suggest that vestibular influences on autonomic control mediated by the CVN are more complex than previously envisioned, and likely involve considerable processing and integration of signals by brainstem regions involved in cardiovascular and respiratory regulation. Following a bilateral vestibular neurectomy, CVN neurons regained spontaneous activity within 24 h, and a very few neurons (<10%) responded to vertical tilts <15° in amplitude. These findings indicate that nonlabyrinthine inputs are likely important in sustaining the activity of CVN neurons; thus, these inputs may play a role in functional recovery following peripheral vestibular lesions.

show abstract

Afferent pathways to the region of the vestibular nuclei that participates in cardiovascular and respiratory control

Cited by 38 publications

References 63 publications

Low-frequency galvanic vestibular stimulation evokes two peaks of modulation in skin sympathetic nerve activity

Low-frequency galvanic vestibular stimulation evokes two peaks of modulation in skin sympathetic nerve activity

Low-frequency physiological activation of the vestibular utricle causes biphasic modulation of skin sympathetic nerve activity in humans

Responses of caudal vestibular nucleus neurons of conscious cats to rotations in vertical planes, before and after a bilateral vestibular neurectomy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About