The Vestibular System

The Vestibular System is an integrative loo takes an interactive look at the vestibular system and the neurobiology of balance. Written by eight leading experts and headed by Jay M. Goldberg, this book builds upon the classic by Victor Wilson and Geoffrey Melville Jones published over 25 years ago and takes a fresh new look at the vestibular system and the revolutionary advances that have been made in the field.

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.

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.

The Vestibular System is a collection of papers presented at the 1973 Symposium on the Vestibular System, organized and held at the University of Chicago. This symposium provides a body of reviews and observations on the anatomical, physiological, and clinical aspects of the vestibular system. This book is composed of seven parts encompassing 28 chapters. The first part focuses on the ultrastructure of the peripheral organs and the vestibular pathways to the cerebellum, the spinal cord, and the nuclei of the extraocular muscles. The subsequent part presents the basic information on knowledge of peripheral mechanisms and the functional relations between the vestibular system, cerebellum, oculomotor system, spinal cord and cortex. These topics are followed by descriptions of vestibular disorders induced by a variety of influences or procedures, such as nuclear lesions, motion sickness, and drugs. The next section describes the methods of testing vestibular function, such as electronystagmography. This section serves as an introduction to a panel discussion on eye movements. Lastly, reviews and points of view on peripheral and central vestibular disorders are covered in the remaining sections. This work is of great benefit to anatomists, physiologists, and clinicians.

Neurochemistry of the Vestibular System covers the proliferation of information stemming from the technical advances in the areas of molecular biology and neurochemistry. It analyzes developments in areas that relate to the neurochemical organization of the hair cells in the inner ear, the vestibular nerve, the vestibular nuclear complex, and central afferent and efferent vestibular projections. The book also identifies future directions for research in the areas of neurotransmitters, second messengers, transcription factors, and molecular mechanisms involved with both normal vestibular function and compensation.

Development of Auditory and Vestibular Systems fourth edition presents a global and synthetic view of the main aspects of the development of the stato-acoustic system. Unique to this volume is the joint discussion of two sensory systems that, although close at the embryological stage, present divergences during development and later reveal conspicuous functional differences at the adult stage. This work covers the development of auditory receptors up to the central auditory system from several animal models, including humans. Coverage of the vestibular system, spanning amphibians to effects of altered gravity during development in different species, offers examples of the diversity and complexity of life at all levels, from genes through anatomical form and function to, ultimately, behavior. The new edition of Development of Auditory and Vestibular Systems will continue to be an indispensable resource for beginning scientists in this area and experienced researchers alike. Full-color figures illustrate the development of the stato-acoustic system pathway Covers a broad range of species, from drosophila to humans, demonstrating the diversity of morphological development despite similarities in molecular processes involved at the cellular level Discusses a variety of approaches, from genetic-molecular biology to psychophysics, enabling the investigation of ontogenesis and functional development

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.

This completely reorganized and expanded fourth edition covers the rapid advances that have occurred in the basicand clinical vestibular sciences in the past 10 years. Recent breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of peripheral transduction and central processing within the vestibular system are reviewed. The authors discuss the differential diagnosis of dizziness of both vestibular and non-vestibular etiology and demonstrate bedside tests of vestibular function.