Open AccessDevelopment of orientation preference in the mammalian visual cortex
Author(s) -
Chapman Barbara,
Gödecke Imke,
Bonhoeffer Tobias
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of neurobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1097-4695
pISSN - 0022-3034
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4695(199910)41:1<18::aid-neu4>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - biology , preference , visual cortex , neuroscience , orientation (vector space) , future orientation , cortex (anatomy) , cognitive psychology , cognitive science , psychology , social psychology , geometry , mathematics , economics , microeconomics
Recent experiments have studied the development of orientation selectivity in normal animals, visually deprived animals, and animals where patterns of neuronal activity have been altered. Results of these experiments indicate that orientation tuning appears very early in development, and that normal patterns of activity are necessary for its normal development. Visual experience is not needed for early development of orientation, but is crucial for maintaining orientation selectivity. Neuronal activity and vision thus seem to play similar roles in the development of orientation selectivity as they do in the development of eye‐specific segregation in the visual system. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 41: 18–24, 1999