Neuroanatomy of the nuclear vestibular complex in the syrian hamster. Comparison with other mammals

The vestibular complex has been studied since the fifties. The general conclusion of research on many mammals is that the vestibular complex has four main vestibular nuclei and some less constantly associated neuronal groups. The general distribution of the four main vestibular nuclei in the hamster does not differ substantially from that of other mammals: humans, many primates, cat, opossom, rabbit, chinchilla, guinea pig, etc. Of the many associated groups that have been described, we clearly identified groups , , , , and the interstitial nucleus of the vestibular nucleus of Cajal. However, the latter seems to be less developed than in other mammals. We present results and a map of serial sections of the vestibular area showing the most characteristic anatomic relations with brainstem structures, and the most relevant cytomorphometric results compared with other mammals.