Many studies have demonstrated that vestibular sensory input is important for spatial learning and memory. However, it has been unclear what contributions the different parts of the vestibular system - the semi-circular canals and otoliths - make to these processes. The advent of mutant otolith-deficient mice has made it possible to isolate the relative contributions of the otoliths, the utricle and saccule. A number of studies have now indicated that the loss of otolithic function impairs normal spatial memory and also impairs the normal function of head direction cells in the thalamus and place cells in the hippocampus. Epidemiological studies have also provided evidence that spatial memory impairment with aging, may be linked to saccular function. The otoliths may be important in spatial cognition because of their evolutionary age as a sensory detector of orientation and the fact that velocity storage is important to the way that the brain encodes its place in space.

中文翻译：

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越来越多的证据表明耳石在空间记忆中的重要性。


许多研究表明，前庭感觉输入对于空间学习和记忆很重要。然而，目前尚不清楚前庭系统的不同部分（半规管和耳石）对这些过程有何贡献。耳石缺陷突变小鼠的出现使得分离耳石、椭圆囊和球囊的相对贡献成为可能。目前许多研究表明，耳石功能的丧失会损害正常的空间记忆，还会损害丘脑中的头部方向细胞和海马中的位置细胞的正常功能。流行病学研究还提供证据表明，随着年龄的增长，空间记忆受损可能与球囊功能有关。耳石可能在空间认知中很重要，因为它们作为方向感觉探测器的进化年龄，以及速度存储对于大脑编码其在空间中的位置的方式很重要这一事实。