title: Pinwheel stabilization by ocular dominance segregation.
abstract: We present an analytical approach for studying the coupled development of ocular dominance and orientation preference columns. Using this approach we demonstrate that ocular dominance segregation can induce the stabilization and even the production of pinwheels by their crystallization in two types of periodic lattices. Pinwheel crystallization depends on the overall dominance of one eye over the other, a condition that is fulfilled during early cortical development. Increasing the strength of intermap coupling induces a transition from pinwheel-free stripe solutions to intermediate and high pinwheel density states.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany. reichl@nld.ds.mpg.de
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reichl
authors.forename: Siegrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Löwel
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*