Nasal field loss in kittens reared with convergent squint: neurophysiological and morphological studies of the lateral geniculate nucleus

Abstract

1. Recordings of single cells were made in layers A and A1 of the lateral geniculate nucleus of kittens raised with convergent squint in one eye, and morphological studies of cells representing the different parts of the visual fields in these layers were also made from histological sections.2. For the normal eye, cells receiving inputs from the nasal and temporal visual fields were evenly represented up to the periphery, whereas for the squinting eye, no cells which permitted quantitative studies of receptive field properties could be found in the periphery of the nasal field.3. The loss of nasal field, represented by the loss of functional cells in the LGN layer A1 fed by the squinting eye, depended on the severity of the squint. The greater the angle of convergent squint, the greater the loss of nasal field represented by the loss of functional cells.4. The cells fed by the squinting eye's temporal visual field retained their brisk function, although minor modifications in the receptive field organisation were apparent.5. The mean perikaryal size was smaller and the cell-density higher for cells in layers fed by the squinting eye. As found for the functional loss of cells, the shrinkage of perikaryal size and the increase of cell-density was smallest in the zones fed by the temporal visual field, and greatest in the zones fed by the peripheral nasal visual field.6. The functional and morphological changes in the cells in the LGN, which receive inputs from the nasal field of the squinting eye, are attributed to part of the temporal retina being hidden behind the bridge of the nose. It is proposed that this is a consequence of disuse atrophy, due to lack of stimulation during the sensitive period of development.