The neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate excites medial vestibular nucleus neurons.

To examine the relationship between neurosteroids and vertigo we performed electrophysiological studies to determine whether pregnenolone sulfate (PS) affects the activity of medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized cats. Single neuronal activities in the MVN were recorded extracellularly using a glass-insulated silver wire microelectrode attached along a seven-barreled micropipette. 3 mM PS, 1 M glutamate and 3 mM NaCl were applied microiontophoretically in the immediate vicinity of the target neurons. The effects of these drugs were then examined on type I and type II neurons, identified by their responses to horizontal and sinusoidal rotations. The iontophoretic application of PS dose-dependently increased the spontaneous firing of both type I and type II neurons. The larger increase in firing was observed in type I neurons as compared with type II neurons following the PS application. These results suggest that PS excites types I and II neurons differentially, presumably resulting in a disturbance of harmony of the vestibulo-ocular reflex with ensuing development of vertigo.