Cerebellectomy and the transfer function of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the decerebrate cat

Abstract

(1) Experiments are described in which the frequency transfer function of the vestibuloocular reflex in decerebrate cats is measured, for sinusoidal movements of the head about a vertical axis. (2) The frequency response is found to be flat over a range of frequencies from about 0.02 to 1 Hz. (3) By allowing for the combined transfer functions of the semicircular canals and eye mechanics, it is found that the nervous system is integrating the vestibular signal with respect to time in this range. (4) Evidence is adduced that this integration is not performed by means of velocity feedback from the eye. (5) It is found that cerebellectomy, or reversible cooling of the cerebellum, causes a marked cut in low-frequency gain that is compatible with the possibility that it is the cerebellum that is performing the integration.