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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Utricle, saccule, and cochlear duct in relation to stapedotomy. A histologic human temporal bone study.

This study was performed to determine the area in which and the circumstances under which stapedotomy can be relatively safely performed. Measurements were made from central areas of the medial surface of the stapedial footplate to the utricle, the saccule, and the cochlear duct in 10 normal and 11 otosclerotic temporal bones. The mean distances to the utricle ranged from 1.9 to 2.4 mm, and those to the saccule from 1.7 to 2.1 mm. The minimal distance to the utricle was measured from the posterior (0.58 mm) and superior (0.62 mm) borders of the stapedial footplate. The minimal distances to the saccule were from the anterior (0.76, 0.86, and 1.00 mm) border of the stapedial footplate. All other measurements were of more than 1 mm. The shortest distance between the cochlear duct and the inferior border of the footplate was 0.2 mm. Statistical analysis has shown no significant differences for the mean values obtained in normal and otosclerotic temporal bones. Fathoming of the vestibule below the central and inferior thirds of the footplate surface has shown that there is no likely danger to the vestibular end organs or cochlear duct if manipulations are carried out no deeper than 1 mm below the surface. The safest place for a stapedotomy opening is in the central and inferior-central thirds of the footplate. A stapedotomy piston of 0.4 mm in diameter can be introduced relatively safely to a depth of 0.5 mm in the vestibule over the entire surface of the stapedial footplate.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

New diagnostic tests for the function of utricles, saccules and somatic graviceptors.

Clinical tests that allow us to discriminate between utricular, saccular and somatic effects on gravity perception and control are desirable but wanting. A new test battery is presented which combines four experimental paradigms based on the subjective horizontal body position (SHP), namely, a test on a tiltable board and on a sled centrifuge under varied leg position, with two paradigms based on the subjective visual vertical (SVV). It is shown by a combination of experiments and deductions, that, why, and how these tests can separate the effects of otoliths from those of somatic graviceptors, the effects of the utricles from those of the saccules, and the effects of the constituents of the somatic graviception from each other. The present study demonstrates the capabilities of the tests as well as their limitations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Otolith mass asymmetries in the utricle and saccule of flatfish.

The otolith mass of the saccules and utricles of plaice, Pleuronectes platessa (n = 39) and turbot, Psetta maxima (n = 21) was measured using an electronic microbalance. In the right-eyed plaice, the left utricular otoliths were found to be significantly heavier than the right (p < 0.0001), whereas no significant difference was found between left and right saccular otoliths (p < 0.751). In the left-eyed turbot, both the right utricular and saccular otoliths were found to be significantly heavier (in both cases, p < 0.0001). While the gene and regulative protein responsible for the peripheral biomineralisation process have been identified, it remains unclear how the symmetry between the right and left otoliths in fish species is regulated. Here it is likely that an additional central mechanism is involved. It must be assumed that similar processes govern the systematic asymmetry observed in flatfish such as the plaice and turbot. Taken together these findings are strongly suggestive of concomitant CNS modification and metamorphic plasticity, presumably represented in genetic code.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Function of semicircular canals, utricles and saccules in deaf children.

OBJECTIVE: To study vestibular function in deaf children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 36 deaf children the function of the semicircular canals, saccules and utricles was measured by means of caloric testing, recordings of vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and measurements of the subjective visual horizontal (SVH) at different body tilts, respectively. RESULTS: In total, 30% of subjects had caloric hypo- or areflexia and 24% had a caloric asymmetry. VEMPs were weak or absent bilaterally in 22% of cases, and asymmetric in 19%. Regarding the utricle, 17% of subjects had a pathologically reduced perception of roll tilt to both sides and 25% had an asymmetry. In total, 30% of subjects were pathologic in all 3 tests and 30% were completely normal. Semicircular canal function correlated best with the function of the saccule. If hearing was better than 90 dB (pure-tone average of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 kHz) vestibular function was often normal. For hearing levels of 100-120 dB, otolith function declined significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Vestibular function tends to be preserved up to a point where hearing is nearly extinct. Hearing level correlates more closely with otolith function, especially that of the utricle, than with semicircular canal function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1967

Otolithic membranes of the saccule and utricle in man.

The otolithic membranes of the human saccule and utricle can be prepared as whole mounts or surface specimens for microscopic examination. They are not simple, homogeneous, gelatinous structures as heretofore described. Instead, each shows a definite and characteristic fibrillar design, which appears to be correlated with the known cytoarchitectural pattern of the underlying neuroepithelium.

Ear, Inner↗
PubMed2004

Morphometry of otoconia in the utricle and saccule of developing Japanese quail.

The development of otoconia in the utricular and saccular maculae from initial embryonic formation to adult stages was examined in Japanese quails. Both the morphology and size of the otoconia were quantified at different developmental stages. It was observed that the otoconia were initially formed on embryologic stage E5 in the saccule and E6 in the utricle. Otolith mass areas increased in a sigmoidal growth pattern, with saccular otolith areas being smaller than the utricular mass areas. Saccular otolith masses reached adult values at embryonic stage E12 and utricular areas reached adult values at post-hatch day 7. Mature individual otoconia were characterized by a barrel shape with two trihedral faceted ends. However, initial formation of otoconia at E5 (saccular) and E6 (utricular) maculae was characterized by a double fluted morphology that consisted of an hourglass shape with extended fins forming trihedral angles of 120 degrees. Double fluted otoconia rapidly filled, so that by embryonic day 8 mature otoconia dominated the maculae for the remainder of development through adulthood. Thus, a progression from double fluted to mature forms was noted. Mature utricular otoconia in adult quails averaged 11 microm in length and 5 microm in width, with length/width ratios of approximately 2.5:1, for all size ranges. Saccular otoconia were smaller, having about 70% the size of utricular otoconia in both length and width. During development, the average size and range of individual otoconia increased nearly linearly for both otolith organs. In the utricular macula, large otoconia were concentrated in the lateral regions of the epithelium. In contrast, otoconia of various sizes were distributed uniformly across the surface of the saccular macula.

Acoustic Maculae↗
PubMed2005

Modified stapes prosthesis to limit postoperative vertigo.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anatomic relationship between utricle, saccule, and stapes footplate, and adapt the stapes prosthesis tip to reduce postoperative vertigo. STUDY DESIGN: Five temporal bones were serially sectioned and stained, and the distance from the inner lining of stapes footplate to saccule and utricle, respectively, were measured. The Fisch prosthesis was modified with a slope of 45 degrees at its tip to adapt to the anatomic configuration of the vestibule. Fisch's original piston or the modified piston was used in 174 ears (Group I) and 108 ears (Group II), randomly. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in hearing improvement between the 2 groups (P > 0.5). However, postoperative vertigo was significantly reduced when the modified prosthesis was inserted (P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The modified piston improved the hearing to the level of the original piston, and the incidence of postoperative vertigo was significantly decreased. SIGNIFICANCE: A modified prosthesis is presented for a patient undergoing stapedotomy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Freeze-fracture study of the cell junctions in the utricle and saccule.

The maculae sacculi and utriculi of the chinchilla vestibular labyrinth have been studied by freeze-fracture method. In the replicas extensive zonulae occludentes have been found between sensory and supporting cells at the endolymphatic surface. Gap junctions are located between the supporting cells. Some intramembranous specializations of the synaptic regions are described in both types of the sensory cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

S-100 immunoreactivity identifies a subset of hair cells in the utricle and saccule of a fish.

Certain hair cells of fish exhibit strong immunoreactivity to an S-100 antibody. By their spatial locations in the utricle and saccule, these hair cells appear to possess a relatively short kinocilium and a roughly ovoid cell shape. In the utricle, these cells are predominantly located in the striola. In the saccule, these cells are found within the central area of the epithelium. In both of these epithelia the strongly immunoreactive hair cells coincide with the locations of hair cells possessing F1 ciliary bundles.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Atoh1 null mice show directed afferent fiber growth to undifferentiated ear sensory epithelia followed by incomplete fiber retention.

Inner ear hair cells have been suggested as attractors for growing afferent fibers, possibly through the release of the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Atoh1 null mice never fully differentiate hair cells and supporting cells and, therefore, may show aberrations in the growth and/or retention of their innervation. We investigated the distribution of cells positive for Atoh1- or Bdnf-mediated beta-galactosidase expression in Atoh1 null and Atoh1 heterozygotic mice and correlated the distribution of these cells with their innervation. Embryonic day (E) 18.5 Atoh1 null and heterozygotic littermates show Atoh1- and BDNF-beta-galactosidase-positive cells in comparable distributions in the canal cristae and the cochlea apex. Atoh1-beta-galactosidase-positive but only occasional Bdnf-beta-galactosidase-positive cells are found in the utricle, saccule, and cochlea base of Atoh1 null mutant mice. Absence of Bdnf-beta-galactosidase expression in the utricle and saccule of Atoh1 null mice is first noted at E12.5, a time when Atoh1-beta-galactosidase expression is also first detected in these epithelia. These data suggest that expression of Bdnf is dependent on ATOH1 protein in some but does not require ATOH1 protein in other inner ear cells. Overall, the undifferentiated Atoh1- and Bdnf-beta-galactosidase-positive cells show a distribution reminiscent of that in the six sensory epithelia in control mice, suggesting that ear patterning processes can form discrete patches of Atoh1 and Bdnf expression in the absence of ATOH1 protein. The almost normal growth of afferent and efferent fibers in younger embryos suggests that neither fully differentiated hair cells nor BDNF are necessary for the initial targeted growth of fibers. E18.5 Atoh1 null mice have many afferent fibers to the apex of the cochlea, the anterior and the posterior crista, all areas with numerous Bdnf-beta-galactosidase-positive cells. Few fibers remain to the saccule, utricle, and the base of the cochlea, all areas with few or no Bdnf-beta-galactosidase-positive cells. Thus, retention of fibers is possible with BDNF, even in the absence of differentiated hair cells.

Aging↗
PubMed1992

Cholinesterase activity in vestibular organs of young and old mice.

The activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) were studied by histochemical methods in the semicircular canal end organs, the utricle and the saccule of young and old mice. AChE was located on the plasma membrane of efferent nerve terminals beneath vestibular hair cells, and along the basement membrane. In the ampulla, stained efferent terminals were more prevalent on the slopes of the crista than in the central region. In all organs examined, there were no discernible differences in AChE activity between young and old mice. BChE activity was observed in the epithelial light cells and supporting cells of the saccule, utricle, and ampulla. Its distribution was similar in both young and old mice in the ampulla, but decreased significantly with age in the utricle. Preliminary data suggest that BChE activity is also weak in old saccular supporting cells. Unlike the utricle, old saccular light cells retained intense BChE activity.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2003

Unilateral examination of utricle and saccule function.

Attention is directed towards the recently developed unilateral tests of saccular and utricular function. Together with the now widely used head-thrust test and the standard caloric test for semicircular canal function, these provide for a more comprehensive unilateral examination of labyrinth function. The efficacy of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) as a direct unilateral test of saccular function is currently being demonstrated in an increasing number of reports. Furthermore, the relevant neuronal pathways have been delineated in animal studies, so that all evidence points to the validity of the VEMP as a saccule-mediated response. Concerning utricular function, considerable headway has been made using the unilateral centrifugation paradigm. Testing is performed with a variable radius rotary chair with constant velocity rotation about the earth-vertical axis. Displacing the head by 3.5-4 cm from the rotation axis, the eccentrically positioned utricle is stimulated unilaterally by the resultant centrifugal force. This paradigm can be employed to elicit a utriculo-ocular response (UOR) or to permit measurement of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). More recently, it has also been demonstrated that testing during normal, on-centre yaw axis rotation is often sufficient to localise peripheral otolith dysfunction by means of SVV estimation. This test mode can be easily integrated into routine clinical testing. To illustrate the efficacy of such differential testing, the findings from two patients are presented that demonstrate for the first time an isolated unilateral utricular dysfunction.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Expression of p-glycoprotein is associated with that of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) in the vestibular labyrinth and endolymphatic sac of the guinea pig.

Expression of p-glycoprotein (p-gp) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) was detected in the vestibular labyrinth and endolymphatic sac (ES) of the guinea pig by immunohistochemical staining using anti-p-gp monoclonal antibody (mAb) C219 and anti-MRP mAb MRPr1. P-gp was detected in capillary endothelial cells of the crista ampullaris, utricle, saccule and ES. MRP1 was detected in the epithelial lining of the crista ampullaris, utricle, saccule, and epithelial cells of the ES. Since p-gp and MRP1 act as extrusion pumps, they may coordinate with each other in vestibular organs and ES and play an important role in the blood-labyrinth barrier.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A study of the otolithic membranes of the saccule and utricle of the guinea pig].

By scanning electron microscopy the otolith membranes of the sacculus and utriculus of adult guinea-pigs were examined. The spatial arrangement of otoconia was found to differ from the standard scheme. New forms of imperfect otoconia were detected. Differences in morphological parameters of otoconia in the labyrinthine structures were revealed. Factors responsible for the development of imperfect otoconia on the otolith membrane are described and their relation to the potential changes in the sensitivity of otolith receptors is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The glycan keratan sulfate in inner ear crystals.

The otoconial matrix (OM) of chicks (Gallus domesticus) inner ear was analyzed. Histochemically the OM was reacted with phosphotungstic acid (PTA) and immunohistochemically with the monoclonal antibody antikeratan sulfate (antiKS). The OM was digested with the enzyme endo-beta-galactosidase (E beta Galase) or separated by 1D and 2D gel electrophoresis. PTA which reacts with glycoproteins precipitated the OM, suggesting that the OM contains glycoproteins. A central core in each crystal had no PTA staining, suggesting that the core lacked glycoproteins. Anti KS antibody stained the OM with increased density in older embryos as determined by color thresholding. E beta Galase, which cleaves the lactosamine repeating units in KS, decreased the immunostain by 30% in the OM and by 20% in the cartilage. The OM from the utricle, saccule and macula lagena contained similar molecular weight bands. Five dense bands in the OM were less dense in tissue and blood controls, suggesting that such bands are enriched in the OM. Isoelectric focusing of the OM showed a negatively charged high molecular weight smear not present in blood and faint in tissue controls. The high affinity of the OM for the cationic PTA stain, the strong immunohistochemical reaction of the OM with anti KS antibody and high molecular weight negative smear in 2D gels taken together suggest that: a) the OM contains large amounts of glycoproteins and glycans, one of which is keratan sulfate, because its immuno stain with antiKS antibody was decreased by the enzyme E beta Galase, b) the utricle, saccule and macula lagena may have similar composition, and c) the concentration of KS may increase gradually until complete mineralization of the OM is reached.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Proliferation gradients in the inner ear of the monkey (Macaca mulatta) embryo.

Radioautographic studies were conducted on early developmental stages of the inner ear in monkey (Macaca mulatta) embryos ranging in age from stage 11 to stage 20 (25 to 39 days' gestation) and labeled for one hour with [3H] thymidine. The most active period of proliferation occurred at stage 13, at which time all regions of the otocyst, including the endolymphatic duct, were heavily labeled. In subsequent stages the dorsal portion of the endolymphatic duct failed to incorporate label, whereas proliferation continued in the ventral portion of the duct near its communication with the medial wall of the otocyst. The duct thus appeared to grow upward as a result of cell division from below. Mitotic activity continued in the remainder of the otocyst although there was a progressive temporal decrease in the labeling index. Spatial gradients also occurred, with dorsal and lateral regions less active than ventral and medial ones. As the otocyst differentiated, the cells in various areas became attenuated. These flattened cells were still capable of undergoing cell division, as indicated by the presence of labeled nuclei in all regions of the utricle, saccule, semicircular ducts, and cochlear duct.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Immunohistochemistry and histochemistry of the inner ear gelatinous membranes and statoconia of the chick (Gallus domesticus).

This study was undertaken to investigate whether the gelatinous membranes (GMs) of the chick (Gallus domesticus) inner ear contain glycoproteins and proteoglycans, as is the case in mammals, and whether or not the relative concentrations of glycoproteins and proteoglycans change during development. We used electron-microscopic histochemistry with tannic acid, Alcian blue and ruthenium red and immunoperoxidase with monoclonal antibodies to fibronectin and keratan sulfate. Both techniques were applied to material from newly hatched chicks in various developmental stages. In hatchlings, tannic acid, which precipitates mainly proteoglycans, stained the mineralizing GMs of the utricle, saccule and lagenar macula darker than it did the nonmineralizing GMs of the cristae and tectorial membrane of the basilar papilla, while Alcian blue and ruthenium red stained all GMs in the vestibule and basilar papilla almost to the same degree. Antikeratan sulfate (a proteoglycan marker) stained the GMs intensively, while antifibronectin (glycoprotein monoclonal marker) stained them less intensively. In the mineralizing GMs of the embryos, the immunoreactivity (density) of keratan sulfate almost doubles between days 7 (stages 31) and 21 (stage 46), while the density of fibronectin does not seem to change as much. Different concentrations of glycoproteins and proteoglycans in each GM may impart to it the capacity to remain unmineralized, as is the case for cupulae of the vestibule and tectorial membrane of the basilar papilla, or mineralized, as is the case for the statoconial membrane of the maculae.

Animals↗