Angelaki Dora E, Cullen Kathleen E
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2008;31:125-50. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.31.060407.125555.
Elegant sensory structures in the inner ear have evolved to measure head motion. These vestibular receptors consist of highly conserved semicircular canals and otolith organs. Unlike other senses, vestibular information in the central nervous system becomes immediately multisensory and multimodal. There is no overt, readily recognizable conscious sensation from these organs, yet vestibular signals contribute to a surprising range of brain functions, from the most automatic reflexes to spatial perception and motor coordination. Critical to these diverse, multimodal functions are multiple computationally intriguing levels of processing. For example, the need for multisensory integration necessitates vestibular representations in multiple reference frames. Proprioceptive-vestibular interactions, coupled with corollary discharge of a motor plan, allow the brain to distinguish actively generated from passive head movements. Finally, nonlinear interactions between otolith and canal signals allow the vestibular system to function as an inertial sensor and contribute critically to both navigation and spatial orientation.
内耳中精巧的感觉结构已经进化以测量头部运动。这些前庭感受器由高度保守的半规管和耳石器官组成。与其他感觉不同，中枢神经系统中的前庭信息会立即变成多感觉和多模式的。这些器官不会产生明显的、易于识别的有意识感觉，但前庭信号却有助于一系列惊人的大脑功能，从最自动的反射到空间感知和运动协调。对于这些多样的多模式功能至关重要的是多个在计算方面引人入胜的处理层次。例如，多感觉整合的需求使得前庭表征存在于多个参考系中。本体感觉 - 前庭相互作用，再加上运动计划的伴随放电，使大脑能够区分主动产生的和被动的头部运动。最后，耳石和半规管信号之间的非线性相互作用使前庭系统能够作为一个惯性传感器发挥作用，并对导航和空间定向都起到关键作用。
