Sensory Receptors of the Vestibular System

00:00 Welcome to this presentation on the vestibular system. The first thing that I want you to understand is the sensory receptors that are associated with the vestibular system, the system that keeps us in balance and equilibrium. We’ll go through the location of these sensory receptors. Then it’s important for you also to understand the functional considerations of these receptors. First up is the macula.

00:34 This is found in the utricle and the saccule. The purpose of the macula is to keep the head in a correct position relative to gravity. The utricle, we see in in this particular area, the macula, in this region, is oriented horizontally So it´s gonna detect linear acceleration in a horizontal direction. The saccule, which I show right in through here, this is going to have the macula oriented in a vertical position. So this will detect linear acceleration.

01:19 Another structure to consider as a sensory receptor is that of the crista ampullaris. The crista ampullaris is associated with the semicircular ducts. We see them outlined in through here. There are three of them.

01:37 Here is one, two and, then three and they are oriented in three different planes. The crista ampullaris associated with each semicircular duct is going to detect angular acceleration movements of the head.