ABSTRACT
The vestibular and auditory systems are both mechanoreceptors and have a common evolutionary origin; thus, their functions are intimately related. The receptors for the vestibular apparatus and for hearing are contained in the membranous labyrinth, which is comprised of the cochlea, the otolithic organs, and the semicircular ducts. The membranous labyrinth floats inside the bony labyrinth, carved deep in the temporal bone, and is separated from the bony labyrinth by the perilymph. The major divisions of the otolithic organs are the utricle, in anatomic proximity to the semicircular ducts, and the saccule, in anatomic proximity to the cochlea. Binaschi and Cantu speculate that the vestibular syndrome associated with solvent exposure is similar to that of toxic nu-cleoreticular vestibular syndrome. The results indicated that workers exposed to inorganic lead showed a decrease in saccadic accuracy and an increase in overshoots compared to controls.
