On the Influence of Linear Acceleration on Optokinetic Nystagmus

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Abstract
In experiments with rabbits we found a strong enhancement of the number of nystagmus beats if a linear acceleration was combined with optokinetic stimulation. A parallel swing provoked the linear accelerations. On this apparatus the rabbit in prone position was submitted to optokinetic stimulation. Another phenomenon recorded in our experiments was the appearance of nystagmus in a situation where optokinetic stimulation normally fails to provoke nystagmus. We found nystagmus when one eye was covered and the other was subjected to optokinetic stimulation from nasal to temporal and simultaneously linear acceleration was given. The nystagmus frequency in those cases is the same as in the cases in which the stripes are running in the opposite direction.