An otolith (Greek: ὠτο-, ōto- ear + λῐ́θος, líthos, a stone), also called statoconium or otoconium or statolith, is a calcium carbonate structure in the saccule or utricle of the inner ear, specifically in the vestibular system of vertebrates. (wikipedia.org)
Endolymphatic infillings such as otoliths are structures in the saccule and utricle of the inner ear, specifically in the vestibular labyrinth of all vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds). (wikipedia.org)
There is evidence that the vestibular system of mammals has retained some of its ancestral acoustic sensitivity and that this sensitivity is mediated by the otolithic organs (most likely the sacculus, due to its anatomical location). (wikipedia.org)
Sensory information about motion, equilibrium, and spatial orientation is provided by the vestibular apparatus, which in each ear includes the utricle, saccule, and three semicircular canals. (physiosensing.net)
Hydrops in the utricle may occur less frequently because of a thicker wall, because of a functioning UEV, and when the saccule has already occupied most of the vestibular perilymphatic space. (bvsalud.org)
The otolith system provides vital information about linear head acceleration in three dimensions (i.e., gravito-inertial forces) and the head's orientation relative to gravity. (elifesciences.org)
Endolymphatic2
OBJECTIVES: Our aim in this study was to characterize the morphology of the endolymphatic compartment on histopathology in individuals with Ménière's disease (MD) and to determine why hydrops of the saccule is more pronounced than that of other compartments of the inner ear in MD. METHODS: Temporal bones from 9 patients with idiopathic MD and from 10 individuals without MD/endolymphatic hydrops were examined. (bvsalud.org)
CONCLUSION: Increases in endolymphatic pressure may cause a primary swelling of the apical cochlear duct and saccule, both of which have relatively thin membranes. (bvsalud.org)
Gravity4
These organs are what allows an organism, including humans, to perceive linear acceleration, both horizontally and vertically (gravity). (wikipedia.org)
They are sensitive to gravity and linear acceleration. (wikipedia.org)
Plants grow vertically out of the Earth, in the upward direction of gravity. (anthro.wiki)
The utricle and saccule detect gravity (information in a vertical orientation) and linear movement. (physiosensing.net)
Acceleration1
Because of their orientation in the head, the utricle is sensitive to a change in horizontal movement, and the saccule gives information about vertical acceleration (such as when in an elevator). (wikipedia.org)
Rotational1
RESULTS: The VMGI can be measured during rotational, linear and combined head accelerations. (bvsalud.org)
Moves1
For example, as a pedestrian takes a walk along a city street, the surrounding buildings appear vertically aligned, and each storefront passed first moves into and then beyond the range of peripheral vision. (physiosensing.net)