J Physiol Society Membership
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
 QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     


J Physiol Vol 243, Issue 1 pp 267-285
Copyright © 1974 by The Physiological Society
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Clarke, P. G. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Clarke, P. G. H.

The organization of visual processing in the pigeon cerebellum

P. G. H. Clarke

1. Visual responses were sought in the cerebella of decerebrate pigeons using extracellular micro-electrodes, and were found in folia VIc—IXb, especially folia VII and VIII. The responses were mainly, but not exclusively, from the ipsilateral eye. Four binocular units were recorded.

2. In the anterior and posterior walls of folium VII the organization was clearly, though rather crudely, retinotopic. The temporal field was represented laterally, on the ipsilateral side, and the nasal field medially; the superior field was represented superficially, and the inferior field towards the base of the folium. In the lateral wall of folium VII there was a small anomalous region innervated by the contralateral eye.

3. The visual input arrived via the mossy fibre system.

4. Units exhibited a strong preference for moving targets, 20-60°/sec being the range of optimal speeds. About three quarters of the units responded most strongly to a particular direction of target motion. The preferred direction was most frequently upwards or backwards.

5. Units in the granule layer were to some extent clustered according to their direction-preference, which tended to change gradually as the electrode advanced along the granule layer.

6. Units were classified as Gr-units (granule cells or mossy fibre rosettes) or P-units (Purkinje cells) or were left unclassified. Receptive fields of Gr-units were usually 5-30° across; they were much larger for P-units in folium VIII, but not obviously so for those in folium VII. Gr-units were more frequently direction-sensitive than were P-units.







HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1974 The Physiological Society.