Visual pattern perception following subpial slicing and tantalum wire implantations in the visual cortex.

Abstract

The occipital cortex of three cats was sliced with multiple subpial knife cuts intersecting one another in criss-cross patterns and extending through the depth of the gray matter. In four other cats both cerebral hemispheres were densely riddled with tantalum wires inserted in random patterns throughout the visual area and the subjacent white matter. The effects on perception were tested on a battery of trained form discriminations. The general high level of postoperative performance suggests that gross tangential intracortical conduction including mass D C flow is not important in visual pattern perception.