HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Blakemore, C. Articles by Van Sluyters, R. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Blakemore, C. Articles by Van Sluyters, R. C.

1. It was confirmed that suturing the lids of one eye (monocular deprivation), until only 5 weeks of age, leaves virtually every neurone in the kitten's visual cortex entirely dominated by the other eye. On the other hand, deprivation of both eyes causes no change in the normal ocular dominance of cortical neurones, most cells being clearly binocularly driven.

2. Kittens were monocularly deprived until various ages, from 5 to 14 weeks, at which time reverse suturing was performed: the initially deprived right eye was opened and the left eye closed for a further 9 weeks before recording from the visual cortex.

3. Reverse suturing at 5 weeks caused a complete switch in ocular dominance: every cell was dominated by the initially deprived right eye. Reverse suturing at 14 weeks, however, had almost no further effect on ocular dominance: most cells were still driven solely by the left eye. Animals reverse sutured at intermediate ages had cortical neurones strongly dominated by one eye or the other, and they were organized into clear columnar groups according to ocular dominance.

4. Thus, between 5 weeks and 4 months of age, there is a period of declining sensitivity to both the effects of an initial period of monocular deprivation and the reversal of those effects by reverse suturing.

5. The small proportion of binocular cells in reverse sutured kittens (which have never had simultaneous binocular vision) often differed considerably in their receptive field properties in the two eyes. In particular, if the cells were orientation selective in both eyes the two preferred orientations could differ by up to 70°.

6. The relative importance of innate and environmental contributions to the properties of cortical cells is discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Q. S. Fischer, S. Aleem, H. Zhou, and T. A. Pham Adult visual experience promotes recovery of primary visual cortex from long-term monocular deprivation Learn. Mem., August 29, 2007; 14(9): 573 - 580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Pizzorusso, P. Medini, S. Landi, S. Baldini, N. Berardi, and L. Maffei Structural and functional recovery from early monocular deprivation in adult rats PNAS, May 30, 2006; 103(22): 8517 - 8522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Faulkner, V. Vorobyov, and F. Sengpiel Visual Cortical Recovery From Reverse Occlusion Depends on Concordant Binocular Experience J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2006; 95(3): 1718 - 1726. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. D. Faulkner, V. Vorobyov, and F. Sengpiel Limited Protection of the Primary Visual Cortex from the Effects of Monocular Deprivation by Strabismus Cereb Cortex, November 1, 2005; 15(11): 1822 - 1833. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. S. Liao, T. E. Krahe, G. T. Prusky, A. E. Medina, and A. S. Ramoa Recovery of Cortical Binocularity and Orientation Selectivity After the Critical Period for Ocular Dominance Plasticity J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2004; 92(4): 2113 - 2121. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. I. Knudsen Sensitive Periods in the Development of the Brain and Behavior J. Cogn. Neurosci., September 1, 2004; 16(8): 1412 - 1425. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Ohshima, Y. Hata, S. Ichisaka, M. Wakita, M. Fukuda, K. Kameyama, and T. Tsumoto Chronic Electrical Stimulation of Afferents From One Eye Changes Ocular Dominance of Visual Cortical Neurons in Kittens J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2002; 88(4): 2147 - 2151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. E. Schmidt, M. Stephan, W. Singer, and S. Lowel Spatial Analysis of Ocular Dominance Patterns in Monocularly Deprived Cats Cereb Cortex, August 1, 2002; 12(8): 783 - 796. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Silver and M. P. Stryker Synaptic Density in Geniculocortical Afferents Remains Constant after Monocular Deprivation in the Cat J. Neurosci., December 15, 1999; 19(24): 10829 - 10842. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. S. Lein, E. M. Finney, P. S. McQuillen, and C. J. Shatz Subplate neuron ablation alters neurotrophin expression and ocular dominance column formation PNAS, November 9, 1999; 96(23): 13491 - 13495. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Hada, Y. Yamada, K. Imamura, N. Mataga, Y. Watanabe, and M. Yamamoto Effects of Monocular Enucleation on Parvalbumin in Rat Visual System during Postnatal Development Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., October 1, 1999; 40(11): 2535 - 2545. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Antonini, D. C. Gillespie, M. C. Crair, and M. P. Stryker Morphology of Single Geniculocortical Afferents and Functional Recovery of the Visual Cortex after Reverse Monocular Deprivation in the Kitten J. Neurosci., December 1, 1998; 18(23): 9896 - 9909. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Crair, D. C. Gillespie, and M. P. Stryker The Role of Visual Experience in the Development of Columns in Cat Visual Cortex Science, January 23, 1998; 279(5350): 566 - 570. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. C. Horton and D. R. Hocking Timing of the Critical Period for Plasticity of Ocular Dominance Columns in Macaque Striate Cortex J. Neurosci., May 15, 1997; 17(10): 3684 - 3709. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Gordon and M. P. Stryker Experience-Dependent Plasticity of Binocular Responses in the Primary Visual Cortex of the Mouse J. Neurosci., May 15, 1996; 16(10): 3274 - 3286. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]