Neuroepithelial 'compartments' and the specification of vestibular projections.

The implication that there exist coherent vestibulo-ocular neuron pools with specific functions may provide new insight into how conjugate eye movements are synthesized within the vestibulo-ocular reflex. The systematic relationship between pool position and synergistic principle terminations, the 'hodological mosaic' suggests, moreover, a determinate groundplan established by developmental mechanisms operative at early stages in the hindbrain neuroepithelium. From such a groundplan, evolutionary and use-dependent modifications could mold connectivity patterns functionally appropriate for each species and individual. How the expression of developmentally regulatory genes contributes to establishing the mosaic organization of the vestibular system is the current focus of our research.