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The developmental profile of inferior olivary (IO) neurons responsive to otolithic signals in the coding of 3-D space was charted by using sinusoidal stimulation of linear acceleration along both the horizontal and vertical planes in rats.Neurons in subnucleus dorsomedial cell column (DMCC) were activated by vertical and horizontal (interaural) stimulation as early as P9 and Pll respectively.By P13, neurons in the β subnucleus of IO (IOβ) became responsive to horizontal stimulation.By P21, neurons in the rostralIOβ (rlOβ) became also responsive to vertical stimulation.In situ hybridization studies indicated abundant mRNA signals of the ionotropic glutamate receptor in otolith responsive neurons in DMCC and IOβ by the second postnatal week.This is reinforced by whole-cell patch-clamp data in which glutamate receptor-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents of rIOβ neurons showed increase in amplitude, reaching the adult level by P14.Taken together, our results support that ionotropic glutamate receptors in the IO enable postnatal coding of gravity-related information.