Suppressed visual adaptation of the vestibuloocular reflex in catecholamine-depleted cats.

Intracisternal injections of 6-hydroxydopamine were used to deplete brain catecholamines in cats. These animals were then subjected to a prolonged period of lateral head rotations while viewing a visual scene that always rotated with them. In contrast to their predepletion behavior, these cats showed very little decrease in the gain of their vestibuloocular reflex. These results suggest that brain catecholamines may play a role in regulating neural plasticity in the vestibuloocular system just as they appear to do in the visual cortex.