Studies on the Functional Interrelation between the Vestibular Canals and the Extraocular Muscles

미로반규관(迷路半規管)과 외안근(外眼筋)의 기능적(機能的) 관계(關係)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)

This experiment was designed to explore the specific functional interrelations between the vestibular semicircular canals and the extraocular muscles which may disclose the neural organization, connecting the vestibular canals and each ocular motor nuclei in the brain system, for vestibuloocular reflex mechanism. In urethane anesthetized rabbits, a fine wire insulated except the cut cross section of its tip was inserted into the canals closely to the ampullary receptor organs through the minute holes provided on the osseous canal wall for monopolar stimulation of each canal nerve. All extraocular muscles of both eyes were ligated and cut at their insertio, and the isometric tension and EMG responses of the extraocular muscles to the vestibular canal nerve stimulation were recorded by means of a physiographic recorder. Upon stimulation of the semicircular canal nerve, direction if the eye movement was also observed. The experimental results were as follows. 1) Single canal nerve stimulation with high frequency square waves (240 cps, 0. 1 msec) caused excitation of three extraocular muscles and inhibition of remaining three muscles in the bilateral eyes; stimulation of any canal nerve of a unilateral labyrinth caused excitation (contraction) of the superior rectus, superior oblique and medial rectus muscles and inhibition (relaxation) of the inferior rectus, inferior oblique and lateral rectos muscles in the ipsilateral eye, and it caused the opposite events in the contralateral eye. 2) By the overlapped stimulation of triple canal nerves of a unilateral labyrinth, unidirectional (excitatory or inhibitory) summation of the individual canal effects on a given extraocular muscles was demonstrated, and this indicates that three different canals of a unilateral vestibular system exert similar effect on a given extraocular muscles. 3) Based on the above experimental evidences, a simple rule by which one can define the vestibular excitatory and inhibitory input sources to all the extraocular muscles is proposed; the superior rectus, superior oblique and medial rectus muscles receive excitatory impulses from the ipsilateral vestibular canals, and the inferior rectus, inferior oblique and lateral rectus muscles from the contralateral canals; the opposite relationship applies for vestibular inhibitory impulses to the extraocular muscles. 4) According to the specific direction of the eye movements induced by the individual canal nerve stimulation, an extraocutar muscle exerting major role (a muscle of primary contraction) and two muscles of synergistic contraction could be differentiated in both eyes. 5) When these experimental results were compared to the well known observations of Cohen et al. (1964) made in the cats, extraocular muscles of primary contraction were the same but those of synergistic contraction were partially different. Moreover, the oblique muscle responses to each canal nerve excitation appeared to be all identical. However, the responnes of horizontal (medial and lateral) and vertical (superior and inferior) rectus muscles showed considerable differences. By critical analysis of these data, the author was able to locate theoretical contradictions in the observations of Cohen et al. but not in the author's results. 6) An attempt was also made to compare the functional observation of this experiment to the morphological findings of Carpenter and his associates obtained by degeneration experiments in the monkeys, and it was able to find some significant coincidence between there two works of different approach. In summary, the author has demonstrated that the well known observations of Cohen et al. on the vestibulo-ocular interrelation contain important experimental errors which can he proved by theoretical evaluation and substantiated by a series of experiments. Based on such experimental evidences, a new rule is proposed to define the interrelation between the vestibular canals and the extraocular muscles.

미로(迷路) 각반규관(各半規管)과 각외안근간(各外眼筋間)의 기능적(機能的) 관계(關係)를 구명(究明)하여 미로반사성(迷路反射性) 안구운동(眼球運動)을 위한 신경기구(神經機構)를 이해하고져 마취가토(麻醉家兎)에서 골성(骨性) 반규관(半規管) 팽대부내(膨大部內)에 단전극(單電極)을 삽입하여 각(各) 팽대부신경(膨大部神經)을 전기자극(電氣刺戟)하였을 때 양안(兩眼)의 각(各) 외안근(外眼筋)의 반응(反應)을 등장성장력변화(等長性張力變化)와 근전도(筋電圖)로써 관찰하여 다음과 같은 결론(結論)을 얻었다. 1) 일측(一側) 미로(迷路)에서 한 반규관신경을 자극하면 양안(兩眼)에서 각각(各各) 3개의 안근(眼筋)은 흥분(興奮)하여 수축(收縮)하고 여기에 대(對)한 3개의 길항근(拮抗筋)은 억제(抑制)되어 이완(弛緩)하였다. 2) 일측(一側) 미로(迷路)의 어느 반규관신경을 자극하거나 동측안(同側眼)에서는 상직근(上直筋), 상사근(上斜筋) 및 내직근(內直筋)이 흥분(興奮)(수축(收縮))하고, 하직근(下直筋), 하사근(下斜筋) 및 외직근(外直筋)은 억제(抑制)(이완(弛緩))되었다. 반대측(反對側) 근(筋)에서는 하직근(下直筋), 하사근(下斜筋) 및 외직근(外直筋)이 흥분(興奮)하고 상직근(上直筋), 상사근(上斜筋) 및 내직근(內直筋)은 억제(抑制)되었다. 3) 일측(一側) 미로(迷路)의 3개 반규관자극을 중복(重複)시켰을 때는 한 안근(眼筋)이나 각안근(各眼筋) 길항근대(拮抗筋對)에 각반규관신경(各半規官神經)의 자극효과(刺戟效果)가 중첩(重疊)됨을 증명(證明)할 수 있었다. 4) 이상(以上)의 실험적 근거를 토대로 하여 각반규관(各半規官)과 각외안근(各外眼筋)의 기능적(機能的) 관계(關係)를 규정(規定)하는 법칙성(法則性)을 찾을 수 있었다. 즉(卽) ‘상직근(上直筋), 내직근(內直筋) 및 상사근(上斜筋)은 동측(同側) 미로(迷路) 반규관(半規管)으로부터 흥분적(興奮的) 충격(衝擊)을 받고 반대측(反對側) 반규관(半規管)들로부터는 억제적(抑制的) 충격(衝擊)을 받으며, 하직근(下直筋), 외직근(外直筋) 및 하사근(下斜筋)을 위하여는 이와 정반대(正反對)의 관계(關係)가 성립(成立)한다. 5) 본(本) 실험성적(實驗性績)을 Cohen 등(等)의 가묘(家猫)에서의 연구보고(硏究報告)와 비교하건데 사근(斜筋)에 대(對)한 반규관사배(半規管司配)는 동일(同一)하나, 내(內) 및 외직근(外直筋)과 상(上) 및 하직근(下直筋)에 대(對)한 반규관사배(半規管司配)는 일부(一部) 상이(相異)하였다. Cohen 등(等)의 성적을 분석(分析)하여 본 결과 이론적(理論的) 모순(矛盾)이 있음을 보았고 안근(眼筋)의 각(各) 길항근(拮抗筋)에 대한 반규관사배(半規管司配)의 양식(樣式)에 있어 일정(一定)한 법칙성(法則性)을 찾을수 없었으며 그들의 관찰에는 실험적(實驗的) 오류(誤謬)를 포함하고 있음을 증명(證明)하였다.