Postcritical-period reversal of effects of monocular deprivation on striate cortex cells in the cat. 1976

K E Kratz, and P D Spear

1. The possibility that effects of monocular deprivation on cat striate cortex could be reversed after the developmental critical period by removal of the normal eye was investigated. In addition, the time course of any postcriticalperiod reversal was studied. Single-unit recording was conducted in the striate cortex of kittens anesthetized with nitrous oxide.2. Six control kittens were raised with monocular lid suture until they were 4-8 mo old (group MD). In agreement with previous investigators, from 0-10% of the striate cortex cells could be driven by visual stimulation of the deprived eye in these kittens.3. Eleven kittens were raised with monocular lid suture until they were 4-5 mo old, at which time the normal eye was enucleated. In five of these (group MD-DE-immediate), recording was conducted in striate cortex on the day of the enucleation. In these animals, 29-39% of the striate cortex cells could be driven by the deprived eye. In four kittens (group MD-DE-3 mo), the deprived eye remained closed for an additional 3 mo before recording was conducted. In these animals, 17-45% of the striate cortex cells could be driven by the deprived eye. In two kittens (group MD-DE greater than 12 mo), the deprived eye remained closed for 14-15 mo after the normal eye was enucleated. In these kittens, 26-40% of the striate cortex cells could be driven by the deprived eye. Thus, removal of the normal eye after the critical period in monocularly drprived kittens results in a rapid increase in the percent of striate cortex cells that can be driven by visual stimulation of the deprived eye, and there is no further increase in responsiveness over a period of more than a year.4. The receptive-field properties of the cells which responded to the deprived eye following enucleation of the normal eye were usually abnormal; 61% of them had nonspecific receptive fields, 39% of the responsive cells were direction selective, and only 12% were both direction and orientation selective.5. The increase in responsive cells was observed in the striate cortex of both hemispheres. However, the increase was greater in the hemisphere contralateral to the deprived eye. The responsive cells tended to occur in clusters of two to four adjacent cells separated by regions containing nonresponsive cells. These clusters were not related to the horizontal cortical layers; however, they may be related to the ocular dominance columns in striate cortex.6. Several mechanisms were considered for the present findings, including neuronal sprouting, denervation supersensitivity, and release from inhibition. It was suggested that the increased responsiveness to the deprived eye was probably not the result of rapid sprouting in the 4- to 5-mo-old kittens. If this is so, then the results indicate that functional connections from the deprived layers of the DLG to the striate cortex remain following rearing with monocular deprivation...

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009416 Nerve Regeneration Renewal or physiological repair of damaged nerve tissue. Nerve Tissue Regeneration,Nervous Tissue Regeneration,Neural Tissue Regeneration,Nerve Tissue Regenerations,Nervous Tissue Regenerations,Neural Tissue Regenerations,Regeneration, Nerve,Regeneration, Nerve Tissue,Regeneration, Nervous Tissue,Regeneration, Neural Tissue,Tissue Regeneration, Nerve,Tissue Regeneration, Nervous,Tissue Regeneration, Neural
D009799 Ocular Physiological Phenomena Processes and properties of the EYE as a whole or of any of its parts. Ocular Physiologic Processes,Ocular Physiological Processes,Ocular Physiology,Eye Physiology,Ocular Physiologic Process,Ocular Physiological Concepts,Ocular Physiological Phenomenon,Ocular Physiological Process,Physiology of the Eye,Physiology, Ocular,Visual Physiology,Concept, Ocular Physiological,Concepts, Ocular Physiological,Ocular Physiological Concept,Phenomena, Ocular Physiological,Phenomenon, Ocular Physiological,Physiologic Process, Ocular,Physiologic Processes, Ocular,Physiological Concept, Ocular,Physiological Concepts, Ocular,Physiological Process, Ocular,Physiological Processes, Ocular,Physiology, Eye,Physiology, Visual,Process, Ocular Physiologic,Process, Ocular Physiological,Processes, Ocular Physiologic,Processes, Ocular Physiological
D010775 Photic Stimulation Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity. Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D001766 Blindness The inability to see or the loss or absence of perception of visual stimuli. This condition may be the result of EYE DISEASES; OPTIC NERVE DISEASES; OPTIC CHIASM diseases; or BRAIN DISEASES affecting the VISUAL PATHWAYS or OCCIPITAL LOBE. Amaurosis,Bilateral Blindness,Blindness, Bilateral,Blindness, Legal,Blindness, Monocular,Blindness, Unilateral,Sudden Visual Loss,Unilateral Blindness,Blindness, Acquired,Blindness, Complete,Blindness, Hysterical,Blindness, Transient,Acquired Blindness,Amauroses,Bilateral Blindnesses,Complete Blindness,Hysterical Blindness,Legal Blindness,Monocular Blindness,Sudden Visual Losses,Transient Blindness,Visual Loss, Sudden
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
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
D000831 Animals, Newborn Refers to animals in the period of time just after birth. Animals, Neonatal,Animal, Neonatal,Animal, Newborn,Neonatal Animal,Neonatal Animals,Newborn Animal,Newborn Animals
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
D014794 Visual Fields The total area or space visible in a person's peripheral vision with the eye looking straightforward. Field, Visual,Fields, Visual,Visual Field
D014795 Visual Pathways Set of cell bodies and nerve fibers conducting impulses from the eyes to the cerebral cortex. It includes the RETINA; OPTIC NERVE; optic tract; and geniculocalcarine tract. Pathway, Visual,Pathways, Visual,Visual Pathway

Related Publications

K E Kratz, and P D Spear
October 1977, Experimental brain research,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
March 1980, Journal of neurophysiology,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
January 1983, Experimental brain research,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
January 1992, Journal of neurophysiology,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
January 1983, Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
October 1984, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
September 1976, The Journal of physiology,
K E Kratz, and P D Spear
January 1987, Experimental brain research,
Copied contents to your clipboard!