Favilla M, Ghelarducci B, La Noce A
Behav Brain Res. 1984 Sep;13(3):209-16. doi: 10.1016/0166-4328(84)90163-3.
The vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) was recorded in dark-reared rabbits 3 months of age submitted in the dark to lateral sinusoidal oscillations of different frequencies and fixed amplitude. While the phase of the response was perfectly adequate to ensure head movements compensation, the gain values recorded showed a clear reduction with respect to the values obtained in a normally raised control group of the same age. After exposure to light, the visually deprived animals showed a complete and rapid recovery of normal VOR gain values. Another group of animals was flocculectomized prior to light exposure. The bilateral ablation of flocculus and paraflocculus did not affect the VOR characteristics of the deprived animals. After exposure to light, in the flocculectomized animals, no recovery of the VOR gain values was observed. The present results confirm that visual experience in early life is necessary for a correct development of the VOR. If visual deprivation is limited to the first few months of life, the impairment of the reflex characteristics is completely reversible. Finally our data suggest that in the rabbit, the flocculus controls the early life development of the VOR.
在黑暗环境中，对3月龄黑暗饲养的兔子进行垂直前庭眼反射（VOR）记录，使其头部进行不同频率、固定振幅的横向正弦摆动。虽然反应的相位完全足以确保头部运动得到补偿，但记录的增益值与同年龄正常饲养的对照组相比明显降低。暴露于光照后，视觉剥夺的动物VOR增益值完全且迅速恢复正常。另一组动物在光照前进行了绒球切除。双侧切除绒球和旁绒球并不影响剥夺动物的VOR特性。光照后，绒球切除的动物未观察到VOR增益值的恢复。目前的结果证实，早期生活中的视觉经验对于VOR的正确发育是必要的。如果视觉剥夺仅限于生命的最初几个月，反射特性的损害是完全可逆的。最后，我们的数据表明，在兔子中，绒球控制着VOR在早期生活中的发育。
