DISCHARGE PATTERNS OF LAGENAR AND SACCULAR NEURONS OF THE GOLDFISH 8 NERVE - DISPLACEMENT SENSITIVITY AND DIRECTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

The responses of goldfish Carassius auratus lagenar and saccular neurons were analyzed for underwater sound stimulation and head vibration in 3 orthogonal directions. Both organs show similar sound pressure and displacement sensitivity below 200 Hz, and respond to a motional stimulus component at 100 Hz. Calculated directions of best sensitivity in the saggital and horizontal planes correspond with hair cell orientation maps. Stimulus-response phase-angles correspond only roughly with the patterns to be expected from a simple model for hair cell stimulation. Variation in the degree of coupling between hair cell cilia and the otolith, and complex 3-dimensional relative motion patterns probably occur in both organs.