Primary vestibular projections in the chinchilla.

Abstract

The central projections of fibers from the vestibular nerve were studied in 19 chinchillas after horseradish peroxidase labelling. In addition, the limits of the vestibular nuclei and the anatomical characteristics of their neurons were also studied. All five vestibular nuclei received primary afferents, but there were extensive areas of them that received very little or no projections at all, such as the rostral part of the superior vestibular nucleus, the dorsocaudal part of the lateral vestibular nucleus, the caudal half of the medial vestibular nucleus and the caudalmost aspect of the dorsal vestibular nucleus.