Model interpretation of visual-vestibular interaction in patients with labyrinthine and cerebellar pathologies

Oculomotor responses to combined optokinetic and vestibular stimulations in labyrinthine and cerebellar defective patients are discussed in terms of parametric changes in a model describing the interaction between the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and the optokinetic reflex (OKR). By making a few reasonable hypotheses about model parameter variations in relation to the type of pathology, the experimental results obtained by several authors can correctly be predicted and explained by the model. The model can therefore be used to define a set of parameters giving an estimate of the state of the system subserving VOR-OKR interaction in the examined patients. The model is also shown to be a powerful tool to assess the validity and the diagnostic significance of the procedures used to test VOR-OKR interaction.