Binocular phase specificity of striate cortical neurones. 1991

P Hammond
Department of Communication and Neuroscience, University of Keele, UK.

Sensitivity to binocular positional mismatch was evaluated in cat striate cortical neurones, for paired, dichoptically presented, moving sine-wave gratings whose interocular positional phase relationship was varied. Spatial frequency, orientation and velocity were optimized for each neurone. Binocular responses for each spatial phase were compared with monocular stimulation of either eye. Binocular responses ranged from facilitation, through complete or partial summation, to partial or binocular occlusion. Counter to previous reports, all functional classes of neurones (simple neurones; special, intermediate and standard complex neurones) were represented in phase-specific and phase-insensitive groups. Most simple neurones, together with a small minority of standard complex neurones, exhibited near-total phase-sensitive modulation, the most significant new finding being that a minority of simple neurones were relatively insensitive to binocular mismatch. The majority of complex neurones, of all types, showed shallower modulation depths (typically around 30%), distributed in a continuum, with no indication of bimodality. It is concluded that the property of positional sensitivity is not attributable solely to simple neurones; and that positional insensitivity is not seen only in complex neurones. At least some neurones of all functional categories evince either kind of behaviour. These results are interpreted as a two-stage mechanism for convergence and matching of inputs from the two eyes.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009039 Motion Perception The real or apparent movement of objects through the visual field. Movement Perception,Perception, Motion,Perception, Movement
D009474 Neurons The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the NERVOUS SYSTEM. Nerve Cells,Cell, Nerve,Cells, Nerve,Nerve Cell,Neuron
D011930 Reaction Time The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed. Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D002415 Cats The domestic cat, Felis catus, of the carnivore family FELIDAE, comprising over 30 different breeds. The domestic cat is descended primarily from the wild cat of Africa and extreme southwestern Asia. Though probably present in towns in Palestine as long ago as 7000 years, actual domestication occurred in Egypt about 4000 years ago. (From Walker's Mammals of the World, 6th ed, p801) Felis catus,Felis domesticus,Domestic Cats,Felis domestica,Felis sylvestris catus,Cat,Cat, Domestic,Cats, Domestic,Domestic Cat
D004292 Dominance, Cerebral Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions. Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014793 Visual Cortex Area of the OCCIPITAL LOBE concerned with the processing of visual information relayed via VISUAL PATHWAYS. Area V2,Area V3,Area V4,Area V5,Associative Visual Cortex,Brodmann Area 18,Brodmann Area 19,Brodmann's Area 18,Brodmann's Area 19,Cortical Area V2,Cortical Area V3,Cortical Area V4,Cortical Area V5,Secondary Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondary,Visual Cortex V2,Visual Cortex V3,Visual Cortex V3, V4, V5,Visual Cortex V4,Visual Cortex V5,Visual Cortex, Associative,Visual Motion Area,Extrastriate Cortex,Area 18, Brodmann,Area 18, Brodmann's,Area 19, Brodmann,Area 19, Brodmann's,Area V2, Cortical,Area V3, Cortical,Area V4, Cortical,Area V5, Cortical,Area, Visual Motion,Associative Visual Cortices,Brodmanns Area 18,Brodmanns Area 19,Cortex Secondary, Visual,Cortex V2, Visual,Cortex V3, Visual,Cortex, Associative Visual,Cortex, Extrastriate,Cortex, Secondary Visual,Cortex, Visual,Cortical Area V3s,Extrastriate Cortices,Secondary Visual Cortices,V3, Cortical Area,V3, Visual Cortex,V4, Area,V4, Cortical Area,V5, Area,V5, Cortical Area,V5, Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondaries,Visual Cortex, Secondary,Visual Motion Areas
D015348 Vision, Binocular The blending of separate images seen by each eye into one composite image. Binocular Vision

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