Progress in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of central visual mechanisms critically depends upon an understanding of the fundamental principles of organization of the visual cortex. The long-range goal of this project is to determine how cortical mechanisms of vision are controlled via thalamic inputs. In the cat, three separate channels of information originate in the eye and are distributed in unique combinations across the several layers of the thalamic relay complex composed of the lateral geniculate and medial interlaminar nuclei (LGN-MIN). The layers of the LGN-MIN distribute their outputs to striate and several areas of extrastriate cortex. The proposed research is designed to: (i) elucidate the functional relationships between these layers and their cortical targets; (ii) describe interactions among the LGN-MIN layers and corticocortical pathways; (iii) determine the dependence of response characteristics on the cortical column's interlaminar circuitry. For these experiments the following tools will be used, individually and in combination: (i) reversible inactivation of individual LGN-MIN subdivisions by direct injection of blocking agents; (ii) reversible inactivation of supragranular layers of area 17 by surface cooling; (iii) reversible inactivation of areas 17, 18 or 19 by cooling. A clue to the MIN's contribution to vision is evidence that it has a specific role in scotopic vision. The hypothesis that the MIN is more sensitive under dim-light than the LGN will be tested directly.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01EY002695-07
Application #
3257041
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Project Start
1978-12-01
Project End
1988-11-30
Budget Start
1984-12-01
Budget End
1985-11-30
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
1985
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041544081
City
Champaign
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
61820
Kang, Incheol; Reem, Rachel E; Kaczmarowski, Amy L et al. (2009) Contrast sensitivity of cats and humans in scotopic and mesopic conditions. J Neurophysiol 102:831-40
Kang, Incheol; Malpeli, Joseph G (2009) Dim-light sensitivity of cells in the awake cat's lateral geniculate and medial interlaminar nuclei: a correlation with behavior. J Neurophysiol 102:841-52
Tanner, Kandice; D'Amico, Enrico; Kaczmarowski, Amy et al. (2005) Spectrally resolved neurophotonics: a case report of hemodynamics and vascular components in the mammalian brain. J Biomed Opt 10:064009
Kang, Incheol; Malpeli, Joseph G (2003) Behavioral calibration of eye movement recording systems using moving targets. J Neurosci Methods 124:213-8
Cui, He; Malpeli, Joseph G (2003) Activity in the parabigeminal nucleus during eye movements directed at moving and stationary targets. J Neurophysiol 89:3128-42
Erwin, E; Baker, F H; Busen, W F et al. (1999) Relationship between laminar topology and retinotopy in the rhesus lateral geniculate nucleus: results from a functional atlas. J Comp Neurol 407:92-102
Malpeli, J G (1999) Reversible inactivation of subcortical sites by drug injection. J Neurosci Methods 86:119-28
Malpeli, J G (1998) Measuring eye position with the double magnetic induction method. J Neurosci Methods 86:55-61
Lee, C; Weyand, T G; Malpeli, J G (1998) Thalamic control of cat area-18 supragranular layers: simple cells, complex cells, and cells projecting to the lateral suprasylvian visual area. Vis Neurosci 15:27-35
Lee, C; Weyand, T G; Malpeli, J G (1998) Thalamic control of cat lateral suprasylvian visual area: relation to patchy association projections from area 18. Vis Neurosci 15:15-25

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