Visual cortical neurons influenced by the oculomotor input: characterization of their receptive field properties

Histochemical and architectonic differentiation of zones of pretectal and collicular inputs to the pulvinar and dorsal lateral geniculate nuclei in the macaque

The pattern of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivity was studied in the pulvinar and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (DLG) of the adult macaque monkey. Discrete islands of AChE reactivity were found that correlated precisely in location with the pattern of projections from the superior colliculus and pretectum. Specifically, AChE overlies terminal fields of superior colliculus projections in the DLG, in four foci in the medial and lateral pulvinar, and in several foci in the inferior pulvinar. All of these tectal projection areas have very high AChE reactivity such that they are easily distinguished. In addition, the pretectum projects to a specific focus in the lateral pulvinar that also has a very dense AChE histochemical reaction. A number of these AChE foci could be further distinguished from other areas in the pulvinar by myeloarchitectonic characteristics. Some of the foci in the lateral and inferior pulvinars could also be distinguished by unique cytoarchitectonic features (as seen with both Nissl and Golgi stains). In an attempt to determine the possible origin of a cholinergic input to the pulvinar, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injections and choline acetyltransferase immunohistochemistry were also done. The results of this experiment indicate that the AChE reactivity seen in the midbrain projection zones to the thalamus may be due to the precise overlap of terminal projections from the brainstem cholinergic cell groups, Ch5, Ch6, and Ch8. These results, taken together, imply that there are several anatomically and histochemically distinct zones related to extrageniculate pathways located within classically defined thalamic boundaries.

Preservation of binocularity after monocular deprivation in the striate cortex of kittens treated with 6-hydroxydopamine

The results of single unit recordings from Area 17 of monocularly deprived kittens were compared with similar ones from littermates who had been monocularly lid-sutured for the same period of time, but who had in addition been given intraventricular injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) to deplete brain catecholamines. This visual cortices of all catecholamine-depleted kittens showed high proportions of binocular neurons, in contrast to the control group, a majority of whose visual cortical neurons were driven exclusively by the non-deprived eye. Preservation of binocularity in 6-OHDA-treated kittens was dose-related. Even after a 1 to 2-week period of lidsuture which reduced binocularity to 20% in controls, normal proportions of binocular neurons (greater than 75%) were preserved if the cumulative dose had been 10 mg 6-OHDA or more. The density of single neurons sampled from electrode tracks through the cortex of drug-treated kittens was high and did not differ significantly from controls. Neurons were isolated every 100 micron on the average. There was some indication that the drug's effect in preventing an ocular dominance shift disappears by six weeks following cessation of 6-OHDA treatment. This reversal of the physiological effects in cortex is preceded by recovery from the behavioral manifestations of 6-OHDA treatments. Binocularity was only slightly increased in a kitten who received large doses of 6-OHDA after a period of monocular deprivation. This observation, together with control recordings from normal kittens and adults treated with 6-OHDA, indicates that the direct effects of 6-OHDA on cortical neurons' response properties play a minor role in comparison to its effects in reducing the sensitivity of the cortex to monocular deprivation. The overwhelming majority of cortical neurons in 6-OHDA-treated kittens remained normal in receptive field properties after a period of monocular deprivation. These data support the hypothesis that catecholamines are required for the maintenance of visual cortical plasticity during the critical period.

Depletion of brain catecholamines: failure of ocular dominance shift after monocular occlusion in kittens

Monocularly deprived kittens were compared with littermates that had had their eyelids sutured for the same time but that had, in addition, been treated with 6-hydroxydopamine to deplete their forebrains of catecholamines. The visual cortices of all the catecholamine-depleted kittens showed high proportions of binocular neurons, in contrast to the control group, most of whose visual cortical neurons were driven exclusively by the nondeprived eye. Catecholamines may play an important role in the maintenance of cortical plasticity during the critical period.