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PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF VISUAL ACUITY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT IN KITTENS
Author(s) -
IKEDA H.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.1979.tb00141.x
Subject(s) - visual acuity , basis (linear algebra) , psychology , vernier acuity , optometry , medicine , ophthalmology , mathematics , geometry
Summary To answer the questions, (1) Which cells in the visual system are responsible for high visual acuity and (2) Does the function of the cells which provide high visual acuity develop postnatally; single cell studies have been made in the retina, lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and visual cortex of cats of different ages. Sustained‐X retinal ganglion cells in the area centralis (the equivalent retinal position to the human fovea) set the upper limit of visual acuity. The cellular acuity develops postnatally until it reaches the adult level at 3–4 months‐of‐age. The improvement of acuity is associated with an increase in the strength of the inhibitory surround mechanism of the receptive field of sustained cells in the area centralis. The maturation of cellular acuity coincides with maturation of retinal and LGN synaptic organisation and of optic nerve myelination.