The Vestibular Sensory Regions In Man

The membranous labyrinth lies enclosed in the very hard petrous part of the temporal bone and, as the name implies, its structure is extremely complex. This may explain why our knowledge of this organ and the vestibular sensory regions within it, is not yet satisfactory. In recent years the rapid development of space research has provided a power ful stimulus to our interest in the vestibular apparatus. This has found expression in annual symposia, in which the role of the vestibular organs in the exploration of space is discussed. However, little is known as yet about the influence upon the equilibrial apparatus, during space flight, of weightlessness and other related conditions. The inner ear has also acquired increased significance from an otosurgical point of view. Operations are today performed in regions previously inaccessible to surgery. This requires exact knowledge of anatomical details and of relations between the different structures in the inner ear.

The Springer Handbook of Auditory Research presents a series of comp- hensive and synthetic reviews of the fundamental topics in modern au- tory research.The volumes are aimed at all individuals with interests in hearing research, including advanced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical investigators.The volumes are intended to int- duce new investigators to important aspects of hearing science and to help established investigators to better understand the fundamental theories and data in ?elds of hearing that they may not normally follow closely. Each volume is intended to present a particular topic comprehensively, and each chapter will serve as a synthetic overview and guide to the lit- ature.As such, the chapters present neither exhaustive data reviews nor original research that has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals.The volumes focus on topics that have developed a solid data and conceptual foundation rather than on those for which a literature is only beginning to develop. New research areas will be covered on a timely basis in the series as they begin to mature.

The details of the receptor mechanism are not yet fully understood for any sensory system. However, sufficient data are available (for the vestibular system and for other systems) to permit meaningful tracking of the sensory messages through the nervous system and via conscious experience. The reception, process ing, storage and output of information in man and other animals, as done by means of receptors, neurons, secretory cells and muscle fibers, are collectively referred to as mind. Sensory physiologists tend to disbelieve in extrasensory perception. Sensory physiology in general is an area upon which different sciences and methods converge. Anatomists, physiologists, psychologists, physicists, chemists, and engineers have made important contributions to sensory physiology. What is special about vestibular physiology is the fact that many research workers are clinicians, living under the constant pressure of their patient's demands. This is a disadvantage when it comes to writing handbooks, but an advantage for the pa tient, since research is guided by clinical practice and can be quickly applied. Modern methods, such as recording from single nerve units and the correlation of electrophysiological and psychophysical data, have greatly contributed to our knowledge, yet the study of lesions is still important, especially in the vestibular field.

Vestibular physiology has acquired new interest in the past few years. The development of fast aircraft, beginning during the Second World War and continuing through modern supersonic jets and space travel, has increased dramatically the acceleration range to which man is subjected, from prolonged weightlessness to several gs. The labyrinth measures all kinds of acceleration, including gravity. and therefore has taken on particular impor tance in the study of human health in the Space Age. It is understandable. then, that NASA sponsored the Symposium on Vestibular Function and Morphology. a satellite of the Eighth Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience. held October 30-November 1. 1978, at the University of Pittsburgh, which also supported the symposium. The present volume was developed from papers originally presented there. My strategy in editing this book has been to focus upon the vestibular end organ and its direct connections. both peripheral and central, in order to as sure a coherent discussion of the basics of vestibular function, structure, and ultrastructure. Fortunately, it was possible to secure the contributions of a number of outstanding investigators from both the United States and abroad, including functionally oriented morphologists. ultrastructuralists, biophysicists, and vestibular physiologists. The result is a comprehensive discussion of the main mechanisms of the labyrinth: the transduction pro cess at the receptor level, in the semicircular canals, and in the utricular and saccular maculae; the information transfer through neuronal pathways to the nuclei and the cerebellum; and the general organization of the system.

When seen from an outsider's vantage point, the development of knowledge in the sensory sciences must appear massive and the result of some carefully followed master plan. In reality, it is the result of numerous relatively independent human endeavors shaped by application of the scientific method. The comprehensive construction of quantitative theories of sense organ function has occurred only recently -but at an explosive rate prefaced by centuries of expansion in the physical sciences. Predicated on this growth, the twentieth century may become known as the age of the biological sciences. With the exception of a modest number of intellectual giants, there were few contributors to the foundations of the sensory sciences before the dawn of this century. At least 90% of existing knowledge has been produced by scientists working in laboratories founded since 1920. If any single scientist and his laboratory may be identified with the growth in the sensory sciences, it is EDGAR DOUGLAS ADRIAN, First Baron of Cambridge and leader of the Physiological Laboratory at Cambridge University, England. Lord ADRIAN'S influence upon the sensory sciences was great, not only in terms of his contribution to knowledge itself but also through the influence which he exerted upon numerous young scientists who spent weeks or years at the Cambridge laboratory and who later returned to their homelands and colleagues with the seeds of vigorous research and quantitative inquiry firmly implanted.

A variety of syndromes are hidden behind the term vertigo; the interdisciplinary approach here shows how surprisingly easy it is to correctly diagnose and effectively treat them. The book's clinical practicality uncovers the key elements necessary for understanding vertigo: the sensorimotor physiology, careful history-taking, and otoneurological examination. For each syndrome, there is a full description of the clinical features and diagnostic procedure. Numerous tables and thorough cross-referencing guide you to differential diagnosis. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the management and the underlying pathological mechanism of the disease.