Effects of extraocular muscle section on receptive fields in cat superior colliculus

Abstract

In order to find out whether changes in the ocular dominance histograms of the visual cortex are mirrored in the superior colliculus, we sectioned cats' right medial and right lateral reclus muscles during the second week of life. We found that most cells in the superior colliculus contralateral to the unoperated eye become dominated by the unoperated eye, while most cells in the superior colliculus contralateral to the operated eye remain binocularly driven. In contrast, most cells in each visual cortex become monocularly driven, some by the operated eye, others by the unoperated eye. Squint surgery does not change the proportion of directionally selective cells in the superior colliculus, but does change the distribution of preferred directions, increasing the proportion of cells preferring approximately vertical simulus movement. These results suggest that the ability to move the eyes normally is important for the maintenance of normal receptive fields in the superior colliculus.