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Superimposed maps of the monocular visual fields in the caudolateral optic tectum in the frog, Rana pipiens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2005

DANIEL E. WINKOWSKI  and
EDWARD R. GRUBERG
DANIEL E. WINKOWSKI
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA Current Address: Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Fairchild Science Building, 299 Campus Drive West D255, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
EDWARD R. GRUBERG
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
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Abstract

The superficial layers of the frog optic tectum receive a projection from the contralateral eye that forms a point-to-point map of the visual field. The monocular part of the visual field of the contralateral eye is represented in the caudolateral region of the tectum while the binocular part of the visual field is represented in the rostromedial tectum. Within the representation of the binocular field (rostromedial tectum), the maps of visual space from each eye are aligned. The tectal representation of the binocular visual field of the ipsilateral eye is mediated through a crossed projection from the midbrain nucleus isthmi. This isthmotectal projection also terminates in the caudolateral region of the optic tectum, yet there has been no indication that it forms a functional connection. By extracellular recording in intermediate layer 7 of the caudolateral tectum, we have discovered electrical activity driven by visual stimulation in the monocular visual field of the ipsilateral eye. The units driven from the ipsilateral eye burst upon initial presentation of the stimulus. At individual layer 7 recording sites in the caudolateral tectum, the multiunit receptive field evoked from the ipsilateral eye is located at the mirror image spatial location to the multiunit receptive field driven by the contralateral eye. Thus, as revealed electrophysiologically, there are superimposed topographic maps of the monocular visual fields in the caudolateral tectum. The ipsilateral eye monocular visual field representation can be abolished by electrolytic ablation of contralateral nucleus isthmi.

Keywords

Optic tectumLayer 7Topographic mapMirror image
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 101 - 109
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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