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The instructive role of binocular vision in the Xenopus tectum

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Abstract

This review presents the fascinating neurobiology underlying the development of the frog optic tectum, the brain structure where the two separate inputs from the two eye are combined into a single, integrated map. In the species Xenopus laevis, binocular visual information has a dramatic impact on axon growth and connectivity, and the formation of binocular connections in this system provides a rich basis for both theoretical and experimental investigations.

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Abbreviations

ACh:

Acetylcholine

EPSC:

Excitatory postsynaptic current

GABA:

Gamma-aminobutyric acid

NMDA:

N-Methyl-D-aspartate

STDP:

Spike timing dependent plasticity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Program in Neuroscience, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Susan B. Udin

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  1. Susan B. Udin
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Correspondence to Susan B. Udin.

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Udin, S.B. The instructive role of binocular vision in the Xenopus tectum. Biol Cybern 97, 493–503 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-007-0188-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-007-0188-7

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