The original intent of the series Studies of Brain Function was to offer a forum to neurobiologists working in different fields to present some of their recent results in a more extensive way. What may have been or might be published in several papers appearing in different journals will thus be com bined in one monograph, thus making the data more easily available to a wider scientific community. It is also believed that such an attempt will provide a more comprehensive insight into one particular field of neurobiol ogy. Admittedly, the monograph will represent a more subjective view than that provided by a classical review article. In this monograph I am going to describe a major aspect of my research, i.e., the central processing of information arising from the receptors in the semicircular canals and otoliths of the inner ear. I shall restrict this report to those systems that are concerned with the vestibuloocular transmission, since they offer particular opportunity to study sensory-motor integration.

1 Introduction

2 Primary Vestibular Neurons
2.1 Semicircular Canal Afferents
2.2 Otolithic Afferents
2.3 Efferent System to Vestibular Receptors
3 Central Vestibular Neurons
3.1 Functional Synaptology of the Vestibular Input to the Vestibular Nuclei
3.2 Responses of Central Vestibular Neurons to Natural Stimulation
3.3 Central Interaction Between Bilateral Vestibular Inputs
4 Vestibulocerebellar Relationship
4.1 Inputs to Vestibulocerebellum
4.2 Vestibular and Proprioceptive Inputs to Anterior and Posterior Vermis
4.3 Cerebellar Effects on Brain Stem Neurons
5 Vestibuloocular Relationship
5.1 Electrophysiological Properties of Ocular Motoneurons
5.2 Functional Synaptology of Vestibuloocular Transmission
5.3 Morphological Aspects of Vestibular Input to Motoneurons
5.4 Pharmacology of the Inhibitory Vestibuloocular Reflex
5.5 Ionic Mechanisms of Inhibition of Ocular Motoneurons
5.6 Responses of Ocular Motoneurons to Natural Stimulation of the Labyrinth
5.7 Responses of Premotor Reticular Neurons to Rotation
References.