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Effects of neonatal splitting of the optic chiasm on the development of feline visual callosal connections

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Abstract

During normal postnatal development, there is an overproduction and subsequent partial elimination of the callosal projections of cortical areas 17 and 18 in the cat. In the present study, we investigated how neonatal splitting of the optic chiasm affects this process. Our results indicate that neonatal splitting of the optic chiasm exaggerates the normally occurring partial elimination of immature callosal projections: it causes a significant reduction in the total number of neurons in the supragranular layers that send an axon through the corpus callosum. It does not, however, cause a significant change in the number of callosally projecting neurons in the infragranular layers. These data suggest that in addition to other factors previously described, the level or spatial distribution of correlated binocular input to visual cortical neurons may influence the stabilization/elimination of immature callosal connections.

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  1. R. Morris

    Present address: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montréal Neurological Institute 3601 University, H3A 2B4, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Groupe de Recherche en Neuropsychologie Expérimentale Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale A, H3C 3J7, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    D. Boire, R. Morris, M. Ptito & F. Lepore

  2. Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore St., 21201, Baltimore, MD, USA

    D. O. Frost

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  1. D. Boire
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  2. R. Morris
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  3. M. Ptito
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  4. F. Lepore
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  5. D. O. Frost
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Boire, D., Morris, R., Ptito, M. et al. Effects of neonatal splitting of the optic chiasm on the development of feline visual callosal connections. Exp Brain Res 104, 275–286 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00242013

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00242013

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