The Vestibular System in Everyday Life
Jay M. Goldberg, Victor J. Wilson, Kathleen E. Cullen, Dora E. Angelaki, Dianne M. Broussard, Jean A. Büttner‐Ennever, Kikuro Fukushima, Lloyd B. Minor · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2012
This chapter begins with an overview of the vestibular system. It then discusses visual acuity and the vestibulo-ocular reflex, the air-righting reflex in the cat, post-rotational reactions, positional alcohol nystagmus, motion sickness, vection illusions, the subjective visual vertical, adaptive plasticity, path finding and spatial orientation, and postural control. Many functions involve the cooperation of vestibular, visual, and somatosensory/proprioceptive inputs. One becomes aware of vestibular and other proprioceptive sensations only when they are in conflict with vision or the expectations arising from past experience. The vestibular system contributes to several levels of nervous function, including reflexes designed to keep vision clear during head motion or to maintain blood pressure when one quickly goes from a supine to an erect posture, more complicated strategies required in maintaining an upright posture, and higher perceptual functions involved in our conscious awareness of our position in our environment and our ability to navigate through it.