Prenatal lesioning of vestibular organ by aminoglycosides.

The effects of gentamicin administrated to gravid mice on the vestibular hair cells of their offspring were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy showed the effect to be dose-dependent and age-dependent, and there was a different sensitivity to toxicity for each of the three types of vestibular receptors. The destructive action of gentamicin on the vestibule before birth provides a mechanism to study the influence of the vestibular system on the central nervous system throughout its development.