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PubMedDate not supplied

Role of the posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus in mechanism of information transmission to the visual cortex.

It has been demonstrated in chronic experiments on wakeful rabbits that the posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus exerts tonic and phasic facilitatory influences on the formation of responses of the visual cortex elicited by a light flash. The tonic influences were expressed in an increase in the amplitude parameters of the responses of the visual cortex in conditions of the formation in the posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus of a focus of heightened excitability (anode polarization), and their perceptible diminution with potassium depression in this nucleus. The phasic influences were expressed in the formation in the visual cortex of thalamocortical responses elicited by pulse stimulation of the posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus, which displayed a close interaction with the responses of the cortex elicited by the light flash. This interaction consisted in a noticeable facilitation of the responses of the visual cortex against the background of a conditioning pulse stimulation of the posterolateral nucleus. The facilitatory effect of the phasic influences was more significant than the effect of the tonic influence.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The phases of visual cortex and hippocampal evoked potentials in rabbit reflect the orienting reaction in case of visual stimuli intensity changes].

The oddball paradigm was applied in experiments with waking rabbits using rare (deviant) and frequent (standard) stimuli, which were similar in color but different in intensity, deviant ones being of lower intensity. In addition, the VEPs to the single deviants were averaged. Such single deviants (without standard stimuli) were given at the beginning and at the end of the stimulation. The positivity of cortical and hippocampal visual evoked potentials to deviant stimuli increased in comparison to responses to standards and single deviants. The VEP-peaks P1 and P2 in the visual cortex and the VEP P1, N1 and P2 peaks in hippocampus increased. The most prominent significant changes were demonstrated for cortical VEP P2 (P130) peak. It is suggested that the increase of positivity to oddball deviants is due to the orienting reflex arising in response to rare stimuli. The increase of P2-peak can be connected with the transfer of information signaling changes of light intensity. It was demonstrated that the most clear and contrast differences in the VEPs to deviants and standards took place for the case of minimal distinction in their intensities. This fact may reflect the orienting reactionto threshold stimuli.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Optical imaging of visually evoked responses in the middle temporal area after deactivation of primary visual cortex in adult primates.

The middle temporal area (MT) is a visual area in primates with direct and indirect inputs from the primary visual cortex (V1), a role in visual motion perception, and a suggested role in "blindsight." When V1 is deactivated, some studies report continued activation of MT neurons, which has been attributed to an indirect pathway to MT from the superior colliculus. Here we used muscimol to deactivate V1 while optically imaging visually evoked activity in MT in two primates, owl monkeys and galagos, where MT is exposed on the brain surface. The partial loss of V1 inputs abolished all or nearly all evoked activity in the retinotopically matched part of MT. Low levels of activation that persisted in portions of MT that were unstimulated or retinotopically congruent with the blocked portion of V1 appeared to reflect the spread of activity from stimulated to unstimulated parts of MT. Thus, a significant pathway based on the superior colliculus was not demonstrated.

Aging↗
PubMed2003

Evidence for altered NMDA receptor function as a basis for metaplasticity in visual cortex.

Sensory deprivation alters the properties of synaptic plasticity induced in the superficial layers of the visual cortex, facilitating long-term potentiation and reducing long-term depression (LTD) across a range of stimulation frequencies. Available data are compatible with either a downregulation of the mechanisms of LTD or an upregulation of NMDA receptor function in the visual cortex of dark-reared animals. Here, we provide evidence for enhanced NMDA receptor function by showing that deprivation produces a horizontal shift in the frequency-response function, decreasing LTD in response to 1 Hz stimulation, but increasing LTD in response to 0.5 Hz stimulation. In addition, we show that the effects of dark-rearing on the frequency dependence of LTD can be reversed acutely by partial NMDA receptor blockade. Finally, we show that an in vivo manipulation that rapidly downregulates NMDA receptor function in the visual cortex, brief light exposure, also rapidly reverses the effect of dark-rearing on LTD.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High-resolution echo-planar fMRI of human visual cortex at 3.0 tesla.

Known specialized properties of the human visual cortex have been used to investigate the role of spatial resolution on fMRI using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) echo-planar MRI at 3.0 tesla. The magnitude of BOLD signal changes has been examined at low (3.1 x 3.1 x 3.0 mm3) and high (0.8 x 1.6 x 3.0 mm3) resolution using both gradient-echo and spin-echo EPI. Paradigms were designed to activate primary visual cortex (V1/V2) and more specialized areas associated with detection of color (V4) and motion (V5). Sensitivity of activation maps increased at higher resolution despite the decreased total signal intensity at the smaller voxel size, presumably from reduced partial volume averaging. The greater microvascular selectivity of high-resolution spin-echo imaging enabled distinct activation patterns sensitive to motion to be detected in V1/V2 that were not apparent with gradient-echo imaging. The spatial resolution at 3.0 tesla was constrained by the size of physiological head motion relative to the voxel dimensions rather than SNR or the hemodynamic response of BOLD contrast. The higher spatial resolution at 3.0 tesla with more selective spin-echo EPI can further refine functional mapping within the cerebral cortex.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1994

A study of tachykinin-immunoreactivity in the cat visual cortex.

The localization of tachykinin-immunoreactivity in the cat visual cortex (area 17) was investigated using immunohistochemical methods. Strong laminar specificity was observed, with immunoreactivity highest in layer V, followed by layers I, VI, II and III, and the lowest density in layer IV. Most of the immunoreactive product was localized in neuronal processes. A few immunopositive cell bodies were also present. The immunopositive neurons were non-pyramidal, multipolar, or bipolar in shape, and mostly found in layer V. There were particularly dense immunopositive fibers and varicosities around somata in layer V. These may represent tachykinin-containing presynaptic terminals (boutons). The results provide anatomical evidence that tachykinins may primarily affect layer V neurons in the cat visual cortex.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

[Laminar distribution of neurons with different types of receptive fields in the visual cortex of the rabbit].

232 neurons of rabbit visual cortex were classified as cells with simple (34.1%), complex (16.4%), hypercomplex (18.5%), non-oriented (21.1%) receptive fields and other (9.9%). Some quantitative characteristics of cellular responses (background activity, velocity and tuning of orientation selectivity) correlated with these receptive field properties. Cells with non-oriented receptive fields were predominant in layer IV and occurred very rarely in layer VI. Cells with simple receptive fields were found in all layers, but were predominant in layer VI. Cells with complex receptive fields occurred with greater frequency in layer V and VI and less commonly in layer IV. Cells with hypercomplex receptive fields occurred frequently in layers II + III and IV but very rarely in layers V and VI. The rate of the background activity of layer II + III cells was the lowest and that of layer V cells--the highest. Tuning of orientation selectivity of simple and complex cells was narrower in layers II + III and V than in layers IV and VI.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Mechanisms underlying cross-orientation suppression in cat visual cortex.

In simple cells of the cat primary visual cortex, null-oriented stimuli, which by themselves evoke no response, can completely suppress the spiking response to optimally oriented stimuli. This cross-orientation suppression has been interpreted as evidence for cross-orientation inhibition: synaptic inhibition among cortical cells with different preferred orientations. In intracellular recordings from simple cells, however, we found that cross-oriented stimuli suppressed, rather than enhanced, synaptic inhibition and, at the same time, suppressed synaptic excitation. Much of the suppression of excitation could be accounted for by the behavior of geniculate relay cells: contrast saturation and rectification in relay cell responses, when applied to a linear feed-forward model, predicted cross-orientation suppression of the modulation (F1) component of excitation evoked in simple cells. In addition, we found that the suppression of the spike output of simple cells was almost twice the suppression of their synaptic inputs. Thus, cross-orientation suppression, like orientation selectivity, is strongly amplified by threshold.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1999

Anatomical correlates of functional plasticity in mouse visual cortex.

Much of what is known about activity-dependent plasticity comes from studies of the primary visual cortex and its inputs in higher mammals, but the molecular bases remain largely unknown. Similar functional plasticity takes place during a critical period in the visual cortex of the mouse, an animal in which genetic experiments can readily be performed to investigate the underlying molecular and cellular events. The experiments of this paper were directed toward understanding whether anatomical changes accompany functional plasticity in the developing visual cortex of the mouse, as they do in higher mammals. In normal mice, transneuronal label after an eye injection clearly delineated the monocular and binocular zones of area 17. Intrinsic signal optical imaging also showed monocular and binocular zones of area 17 but revealed no finer organization of ocular dominance or orientation selectivity. In normal animals, single geniculocortical afferents serving the contralateral eye showed great heterogeneity and no clustering consistent with the presence of ocular dominance patches. Growth and elaboration of terminal arbor continues beyond postnatal day 40 (P40), after the peak of the critical period. After prolonged monocular deprivation (MD) from P20 to P60, transneuronal labeling showed that the projection serving the ipsilateral eye was severely affected, whereas the effect on the contralateral eye's pathway was inconsistent. Optical imaging also showed profound effects of deprivation, particularly in the ipsilateral pathway, and microelectrode studies confirmed continued functional plasticity past P40. Reconstruction of single afferents showed that MD from P20 to P40 promoted the growth of the open eye's geniculocortical connections without causing the closed eye's contralateral projection to shrink, whereas MD from P20 to P60 caused an arrest of growth of deprived arbors. Our findings reveal numerous similarities between mouse and higher mammals in development and plasticity, along with some differences. We discuss the factors that may be responsible for these differences.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1999

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor overexpression induces precocious critical period in mouse visual cortex.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a candidate molecule for regulating activity-dependent synaptic plasticity on the grounds of its expression pattern in developing visual cortex and that of its receptor, trkB (Castr¿n et al., 1992; Bozzi et al., 1995; Schoups et al., 1995; Cabelli et al., 1996), as well as the modulation of these patterns by activity (Castr¿n et al., 1992; Bozzi et al., 1995; Schoups et al., 1995). Infusing trkB ligands or their neutralizing agents, the trkB-IgG fusion proteins, into visual cortex alters the development and plasticity of ocular dominance columns (Cabelli et al., 1995; Riddle et al., 1995; Galuske et al., 1996 ; Gillespie et al., 1996; Cabelli et al., 1997). To test further the physiological role of BDNF, we studied a transgenic mouse that expresses elevated levels of BDNF in primary visual cortex (V1) postnatally (Huang et al., 1999). We found that unlike the infusion experiments, excess BDNF expressed in mouse visual cortex did not block ocular dominance plasticity. Instead, single neurons in V1 of the BDNF transgenic mice were as susceptible to the effects of monocular deprivation (MD) as neurons in wild-type mice, but only during a precocious critical period. At a time when V1 in the wild-type mouse responded maximally to a 4 d MD with a reduction in its response to deprived eye visual stimulation, the transgenic mouse V1 had already passed the peak of its precocious critical period and no longer responded maximally. This finding suggests a role for BDNF in promoting the postnatal maturation of cortical circuitry.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Identification and localization of adrenergic receptors in cat visual cortex.

The concentration and location of adrenergic receptors in cat visual cortex have been determined by radioligand binding techniques using [3H]prazosin (alpha 1-adrenergic receptors), [3H]yohimbine (alpha 2-adrenergic receptors) and [3H]dihydroalprenolol (beta-adrenergic receptors). Saturable high affinity binding sites for all of these ligands were found. The beta-adrenergic receptor population was resolved into beta 1- and beta 2-sites that were present in the ratio 35:65. The laminar distributions of the alpha 1-, alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic receptors were different. The alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic receptors were very similarly localized, being seen in upper layers (I, II and III) and lower layers (layers V and VI). The labelling in upper layers was greater than that in lower layers, more so for alpha 1-adrenergic receptors than beta-adrenergic receptors. alpha 2-Adrenergic receptors were seen in a single band that occupied layer II and III but did extend to the pial surface. These results indicate that the effect of norepinephrine on neuronal activity in cat visual cortex will depend upon the layer in which it is released. Our results provide a basis for further physiological studies of the role of norepinephrine in the processing of visual information.

Alprenolol↗
PubMed2005

Centre-surround interactions in response to natural scene stimulation in the primary visual cortex.

Centre-surround interaction in the primary visual cortex (area V1) has been studied extensively using artificial, abstract stimulus patterns, such as bars, gratings and simple texture patterns. In this experiment, we extend the study of centre-surround interaction by using natural scene images. We systematically varied the contrast of natural image surrounds presented outside the classical receptive field (CRF), and recorded neuronal response to a natural image patch presented within the CRF in area V1 of awake, fixating macaques. For the majority of neurons (67 out of 111), the natural image surrounds profoundly modulated, mainly by suppressing, neuronal responses to CRF images. These modulatory effects started at the earliest stage of neuronal responses, and often depended on the contrast and higher-order structures of the surrounds. For 47 out of 67 neurons, randomising the phases of the Fourier spectrum of the natural image surround diminished the centre-surround interaction. Our results suggest that the centre-surround interaction in area V1 can be extended to natural vision, and is sensitive to the higher-order structures of natural scene images, such as image contours.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1982

Velocity sensitivity mechanisms in cat visual cortex.

To understand why some cells in the visual cortex respond to high stimulus velocities while other fail to do so, a sample of 71 of such cells were examined for their responses to stationary presented stimuli as well as to moving edges or slits of different widths. When presented with stationary stimuli it was found that cells which respond best to slowly moving stimuli generally have tonic discharges, long time to peak latencies and often long minimal durations of stimulation. In contrast, cells which respond preferentially to fast stimuli have phasic discharges, short latencies and short critical durations of stimulation when presented with stationary flashed slits. In the latter type of cells the responses to very fast stimulus movement were abolished selectively when contrast and width of the stimulus were not optimal. A few cells exhibited a velocity-response (VR) curve with a central dip indicating good responsiveness to either slow or fast movement but little to medium velocities. These cells responded both phasically and tonically to stationary slits and the latency of the tonic and phasic responses at low and high velocities, respectively. It is suggested that the ability of phasic cells to respond to high velocities is linked to their limited need for temporal summation.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Dynamics of suppression in macaque primary visual cortex.

The response of a neuron in primary visual cortex (V1) to an optimal stimulus in its classical receptive field (CRF) can be reduced by the presence of an orthogonal mask, a phenomenon known as cross-orientation suppression. The presence of a parallel stimulus outside the CRF can have a similar effect, in this case known as surround suppression. We used a novel stimulus to probe the time course of cross-orientation suppression and found that it is very fast, starting even before the response to optimal excitatory stimuli. However, it occurs with some delay after the offset response, considered to be a measure of the earliest excitatory signals that reach the CRF. We also examined the time course of response to a stimulus presented outside the CRF and found that cross-orientation suppression begins substantially earlier than surround suppression measured in the same cells. Together, these findings suggest that cross-orientation suppression is attributable to either direct feedforward signal paths to V1 neurons or a circuit involving fast local interneurons within V1. Feedback from higher cortical areas is implicated in surround suppression, but our results make this an implausible mechanism for cross-orientation suppression. We conclude that suppression from inside and outside the CRF occur through different mechanisms.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2005

Mapping of stimulus energy in primary visual cortex.

A recent optical imaging study of primary visual cortex (V1) by Basole, White, and Fitzpatrick demonstrated that maps of preferred orientation depend on the choice of stimuli used to measure them. These authors measured population responses expressed as a function of the optimal orientation of long drifting bars. They then varied bar length, direction, and speed and found that stimuli of a same orientation can elicit different population responses and stimuli with different orientation can elicit similar population responses. We asked whether these results can be explained from known properties of V1 receptive fields. We implemented an "energy model" where a receptive field integrates stimulus energy over a region of three-dimensional frequency space. The population of receptive fields defines a volume of visibility, which covers all orientations and a plausible range of spatial and temporal frequencies. This energy model correctly predicts the population response to bars of different length, direction, and speed and explains the observations made with optical imaging. The model also readily explains a related phenomenon, the appearance of motion streaks for fast-moving dots. We conclude that the energy model can be applied to activation maps of V1 and predicts phenomena that may otherwise appear to be surprising. These results indicate that maps obtained with optical imaging reflect the layout of neurons selective for stimulus energy, not for isolated stimulus features such as orientation, direction, and speed.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Classification of receptive field properties in cat visual cortex.

The properties of the receptive fields of visual cortex neurons of cats were studied manually and by a computer controlled system using single lines, double lines and multiple lines (gratings). The multiple selectivities of each of the receptive fields studied make it necessary to abandon the concept that each cell functions as a feature detector. Instead, an attempt was made to classify the receptive field properties with the aim to delineate the transfer functions (of the total networks) served for each property. When tested with one-line stimulus, cells with simple receptive field properties differed from cells with complex receptive field properties as to their velocity selectivity (simple: 1 degree to 3 degrees/s; complex: 4 degrees to 10 degrees/s), spontaneous activity (lower for cells with simple properties) optimal firing rate (lower for cells with simple properties) and receptive field size (smaller for cells with simple properties) but not for orientation and direction selectivity. When tested with a 2-lines moving stimulus, the responses of cells with simple properties were facilitated by the progressive separation of the lines whereas the responses of cells with complex receptive field properties were inhibited. When multiple line, i.e., gratings, were used, an equivalence between simple and X properties and complex and Y properties was shown, while the sustained/transient classification proved to be independent of the simple/complex (X/Y) classification. Thus, receptive field properties can be classified into three categories: one reflects the input to the receptive fields; a second deals with the interactive properties of the fields; while a third appears more related to the overall properties of the network.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

[Comparison of cerebral blood flow in primary visual cortex by administration of 99mTc-ECD while having eyes open or closed].

Four healthy volunteers were administered 99mTc-ECD while having their eyes open or closed (by an eye mask) on different days and the accumulation of the tracer in their primary visual cortex was compared. The accumulation in the cerebellum and the primary visual cortex was about the same when the volunteers were administered the tracer while having their eyes closed. On the other hand, the accumulation was higher in the primary visual cortex than the cerebellum when the volunteers were administered the tracer while having their eyes open. In the primary visual cortex, the accumulation of the tracer was 15% higher on the average when the tracer was administered while having their eyes open than the value obtained while having their eyes closed. It was assumed that 99mTc-ECD depicted the increase of the regional cerebral blood flow at natural state of opened eyes without active stimuli such as photic stimulation.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Morphologic and histochemical changes in the secondary focus following cobalt-induced epileptogenic bioelectrical activity of the visual cortex in the adult rat].

Implantation of cobalt-agar rods into the visual cortex of 16 adult rats induced in some of the animals epileptiform bioelectrical activity and provoked in all of them histological and histochemical changes in the region of the implantation (primary focus) as well as in some ipsilateral projection sites of the visual cortex (secondary foci). The changes within the secondary foci are demonstrated in the Corpus geniculatum laterale, pars dorsale (dLGN), by means of 18 histochemical and 5 histological methods. Together with the appearance of hyperactive and degenerating neurones combined with neuronophagy and diminution of the number of synapses a marked gliosis developed, especially an increase of microglia. The destruction of the tissue induced a depression of energy and transmitter metabolism and intensified lytic processes. This is confirmed by the decreased activities of LDH, SDH, GPDH, G6PDH, NAD(P)H-TR, GABA-T and GDH and the increased activity of acid phosphatase in the neuropil of the secondary foci. Single hyperactive nerve and glial cells were accented by high activities of those enzymes which had a reduced activity in the neuropil. Since in our experiments agar-rods without cobalt never induced histological or histochemical changes in subcortical grisea of the visual system, the secondary foci seem to result from the direct influence of the cobalt, migrating in the corticothalamic projection pathway and identifiable in the dLGN by the TIMM technique.

Animals↗