Light-dependent suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex during development.

In the fish Oreochromis mossambicus, light conditions affect the development of the roll-induced vestibuloocular reflex (rVOR). During development under continous light-dark conditions the rVOR amplitude, which is the maximum eye movement during a complete 360 degrees lateral roll, shows a secondary drop after a first peak at stage 17 by 64% (36.3 degrees at stage 17; 13.0 degrees at stage 20). This drop was shifted by 2 stages to older postembryonal stages and was 33% (29.2 degrees at stage 20; 19.5 degrees at stage 22) less pronounced in animals which were exposed to complete darkness for several days. Because the period of rVOR diminution is sensitive to light conditions, it is likely that outgrowing visual projection fibres reorganize the neuronal network underlying visual-vestibular behavior thus transiently suppressing the rVOR.