Why Is the Otolith Important?

Function: The otolith organs sense gravity and linear acceleration such as from due to initiation of movement in a straight line. Persons or animals without otolith organs or defective otoliths have poorer abilities to sense motion as well as orientation to gravity.

What is the importance of otolith?

The specific role of the otoliths is to provide a gravitational frame of reference with which to interpret other sensory signals, including those generated by the semi-circular canals, and to contribute to the perception of linear motion within that framework (Andreescu et al., 2005; Cullen, 2012; Jamon, 2014; Curthoys ...

Why are otoliths important to the equilibrium sense?

Otoliths are important to the sense of equilibrium because information sensed by the vestibule (which contains the otoliths) regarding linear motion and head position is integrated with information about rotary motion of the head gained by the semicircular canals so that the brain can form a picture of what is ...