Comparative analysis of orientation maps in areas 17 and 18 of the cat primary visual cortex following adaptation.
Object orientations in the visual field are columned into specific orientation domains in the primary visual cortex [area 17 (A17) and area 18 (A18)] of cats. At the single-cell level, adapting A17 neurons to a non-preferred orientation (adaptor) shifts their preferred orientation either towards the adaptor (attractive shift) or away from it (repulsive shift). As A17 and A18 are reciprocally connected, we sought to determine how changes in preferred orientations in A18 neurons are correlated with changes recorded in A17 anesthetised cats. To this end, we simultaneously traced populations of neurons in A17 and A18, using intrinsic optical imaging, before and after long (12 min) and short (3 min) adaptations. The comparison of A17 and A18 maps pre-adaptation and post-adaptation showed that variance in shift amplitudes is greater in A18 than A17 for short adaptations. Our results indicate a rapid reconfiguration of functional maps that may spread to many cortical areas.
Département de sciences biologiques, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Marie-Victorin, C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
Sarah
S
Cattan
Lyes
L
Bachatene
Vishal
V
Bharmauria
Jeyadarshan
J
Jeyabalaratnam
Chantal
C
Milleret
Stéphane
S
Molotchnikoff
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D061848:Optical Imaging; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology
learning; optical imaging; orientation tuning; plasticity; visual cortex