Anatomy
Vestibular Anatomy
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Vestibular Anatomy
, Vestibular Labyrinth
See Also
Head and Neck Anatomy
Anatomy
Vestibular Structures
Semicircular canals
Monitors head rotation and spatial positioning
Three semicircular canals, one for each direction (X,Y and Z access)
Otolithic organs
Utricle
Contains otoliths (small stones) that settle with position changes
Detects horizontal linear movement and
Head Tilt
ing
Sacule
Smaller, more globular organ without utricle communication
Detects vertical linear movement (e.g. gravity)
Anatomy
Neurologic Structures
Cranial Nerve VIII
(2 tracts)
Vestibular tract carries signals from the utricle and sacule
Cochlea
r tract carries signals from the hearing apparatus in the
Cochlea
Vestibular nucleii
Located in the pons and
Medulla
and receive input from the respective tracts of
Cranial Nerve VIII
Transmit signals to the rest of the
Cerebrum
,
Cerebellum
and spinal cord to combine with other inputs (e.g. occiptal lobe, dorsal columns)
Medial Longitudinal Fasciculus
and
Oculomotor Nucleus
Brainstem
fiber tracts that connect with the
Oculomotor Nucleus
and carry information directing eye movement
Connects with
CN 3
,
CN 4
, and
CN 6
for eye motor activity, as well as
CN 8
for head position input related to eye saccades
Anatomy
Vascular Structures
See
Vertebro-Basilar CVA
Posterior Circulation
via the vertebrobasilar system
Vertebra
l arteries
Two arteries ascend in parallel from the subclavian artery via each transverse foramen and join to form the
Basilar Artery
Branches
Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery
(see
PICA CVA
)
Anterior Spinal Artery
Basilar Artery
Arises from the joining of the two
Vertebra
l arteries and coursing anteriorly to join with the
Anterior Circulation
via the
Circle of Willis
Branches
Anterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery
Superior Cerebellar Artery
Anatomy
Images
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
Lewis (1918) Gray's Anatomy 20th ed
(in
public domain
at
Yahoo
or
BartleBy
)
References
Ondrejka (2014) Crit Dec Emerg Med 28(10): 11-7
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