Critical period for the marked loss of retinal X-cells following visual cortex damage in cats.
Visual cortex damage in newborn kittens produces a 78% loss of retinal X-cells whereas damage in adult cats produces only a 22% loss. Retinal Y- and W-cells are unaffected. The present experiment showed that the critical period for the severe loss of retinal X-cells ends between birth and 2 weeks of age. These results have implications for understanding the neural mechanisms of recovery from early visual cortex damage.
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002415:Cats; D012160:Retina / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000473:pathology; D014796:Visual Perception