STRUCTURE OF THE MACULA UTRICULI WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DIRECTIONAL INTERPLAY OF, SENSORY RESPONSES AS REVEALED BY MORPHOLOGICAL POLARIZATION

• Main Author: Ke Flock M. B
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Labyrinth; Burbot; lota
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.281.7989

The anatomy of the labyrinth and the structure of the macula utriculi of the teleost fish (burbot) Lota yulgaris was studied by dissection, phase contrast, and elcctron microscopy. The innervating nerve fibcrs end at the bottom of the sensory cells where two types of nerve cndings are found, granulated and non-granulated. The ultrastructure and organization of the scnsory hair bundles are described, and the finding that the receptor cells are morphologically polarized by the presence of an asymmetrically located kinocilium in the sensory hair bundle is discussed in terms of directional sensitivity. The pattern of orientation of the hair cells in the macula utriculi was determined, revcaling a complicated morphological polarization of the sensory epithelium. The findings suggest that the interplay of sensory responses is intimately related to the directional sensitivity of the receptor cells as revealed by their morphological polarization. The problem of efferent innervation is discussed, and it is concluded that the positional information signaled by the nerve fibers innervating the vestibular organs comprises an intricate pattern of interacting affcrcnt and cffcrent impulses