Summary
The characteristics of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) of a normal cat can be modified in response to visual demands. Two aspects of the VOR are modifiable independently by a normal cat: the gain and the balance. An imbalance results in a spontaneous nystagmus and an asymmetric VOR. Neither the gain nor the balance of a dark-reared cat's VOR is susceptible to visual modification. A cat whose crossed visual pathways are severed at the level of the optic chiasm is able to modify the gain of the VOR but not its balance. Both dark-reared and split-chiasm cats have only very short-lasting optokinetic after-nystagmus.
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This research was supported by USPHS grant EY02248 and grants from the M.R.C. (MT5201) and NSERC (A9949) of Canada
Dr. L. R. Harris was in receipt of a Wellcome travel grant
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Harris, L.R., Cynader, M. Modification of the balance and gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the cat. Exp Brain Res 44, 57–70 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238749
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238749