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Synapses from medial olivocochlear branches in the inferior vestibular nucleus
Author(s) -
Benson T.E.,
Brown M.C.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19960819)372:2<176::aid-cne2>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - neuroscience , brainstem , efferent , vestibular system , medial vestibular nucleus , vestibular nuclei , biology , cochlear nucleus , excitatory postsynaptic potential , nucleus , superior olivary complex , anatomy , auditory system , afferent , inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Olivocochlear neurons are auditory efferent neurons that convey information from the brainstem to the auditory periphery. With light and electron microscopy, using mice, we studied the central branches of medial olivocochlear neurons that are given off to the inferior vestibular nucleus. At the level of the electron microscope, the branches form synapses. The synapses are asymmetric with round vesicles, suggesting that they are excitatory. The synapses are formed mainly onto neuronal dendrites. These dendrites have a large range of diameters, and they may emanate from several types of target neurons. These results indicate that the inferior vestibular nucleus is an integrating center for vestibular, auditory, and other types of information, but the results do not fit with current theories about the function of the olivocochlear system. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.