The pretectal nucleus of the optic tract modulates the direction selectivity of accessory optic neurons in rats.
Direction-selective single units within the medial terminal nucleus of the rat were shown to prefer motion in upward-temporal or downward-nasal directions. Lesions of the optic tract nucleus practically abolished responses to the nasal direction of motion and increased the directional bias toward the temporal direction. Such results suggest a significant role of that pretectal nucleus in the determination of direction selectivity of accessory optic neurons.
Natal
C L
CL
Departmento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.
Britto
L R
LR
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014794:Visual Fields; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*