The development of the vestibular righting reflex in the cat

Abstract

The fundamental mechanism by which the cat is able to right itself seems to develop very early. The first simple movement in the 16-mm. embryo is a ventrolateral flexion of the head, and rotation is soon added to this (Windle and Griffin, '31). Although the development of the righting mechanism is thought to be traceable to these primitive responses, the purposeful act of righting is not actually accomplished until later in fctal life. At the end of thc third o r beginning of the fourth fetal quarter kittens often rotate the head into a position in which the chin is parallel to the surface upon which they are lying. This is thought to be accomplished by chance in specimens 75 mm. and 80 mm. long. Fetuses 95 mm. and 100 mm. long, on the other hand, seem to exhibit the righting reaction in a very immature form; the motor mechanism seems to be too poorly developed to complete the actions that are initiated. At a slightly later stage (110 mm.) the righting phenomenon is often imperfectly completed, but it is well developed at birth. The majority of kittens measure about 135 mm. o r 140 mm. crown-rump length at the time of birth, which is supposed to be a t the end of the eighth week, but may be a t the sixty-second or sixtyfourth day (Craig, '12).Magnus ('24) has shown that the act of righting may be initiated by afferent impulses arising not only in the vestibular mechanism, hut also in the end organs of the skin and muscles of the trunk and neck, and, in the higher mammals, Contribution no. 160. 85

A descriptive analysis of the postnatal development of contact‐righting in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

“…In contrast, when vestibular righting first appeared (as demonstrated in pure form by testing the pups in water-see Fig. 1; and also Windle & Fish, 1932), it only involved head and neck rotation. Recruitment of the remainder of the body was variable-some pups rotated the shoulders after the head and neck rotated on some trials, and for a minority of pups (see Results), head, neck, and shoulder rotation was followed by a rotation of the pelvis to prone.…”

“…Successful vestibular righting was scored if the pup turned fully to prone before it sank to the bottom of the tub (about 10 cm) (Tang & Wu, 1933;Windle & Fish, 1932). The water bath was warmed to about 38°C.…”

Proposal for mechanisms of protection of supine sleep against sudden infant death syndrome: an integrated mechanism review

“…In biology, the vast majority of mammals sleep Integrated Mechanism Review prone, excepting those in specific ecological niches, such as bats and sloths. The labyrinthine righting reflex to prone is evident prenatally in the cat (13), nesting newborns huddle prone to conserve heat. Neonates in supine are more like to startle, as in the Moro reflex (14).…”

The development of righting reflexes in the pouch young of the marsupial Dasyurus hallucatus

“…When placed supine on the ground, both vestibular and tactile forms of righting may be triggered. To test for the presence of vestibular righting in the absence of tactile righting, the subject can be placed in a tub of warm water (Windle & Fish, 1932). In water, the subject slowly sinks to the bottom, and so DEVELOPMENT OF RIGHTING REFLEXES 107 does not experience an acceleratory fall comparable to when falling supine in the air.…”

“…The young was placed supine in a tube of water (i.e., a 29 x 19 X 13 cm clear polycarbonate tub) 2-3 cm beneath the surface and then released. Successful vestibular righting was scored if the young turned fully to prone before it sank to the bottom of the tub (about 10 cm) (Tang & Wu, 1933;Windle & Fish, 1932). The water bath was warmed to about 34°C.…”