The effect of age on the reversibility of cellular atrophy in the LGN of the cat following monocular deprivation: A test of two hypotheses about cell growth

Abstract

Monocular closure soon after birth is known to reduce the growth of the deprived cells in the LGN provided that there are competing cells with normal input. When the closed eye was opened and the open eye closed after three or six weeks of monocular closure, the originally deprived cells in the LGN were able to recover their normal size. However, it was found that after 14 weeks of monocular closure there was no recovery. The ability of the initially closed eye to excite cells in the visual cortex is known to depend on the age when eye closure is reversed in a similar manner. Thus the growth of cells in the LGN is correlated with the possession of effective synapses upon cortical cells. This result is compatible with the hypothesis that competition occurs at the cortical level. It is argued that the alternative hypothesis of competition within the LGN predicts reversibility at any age. In some kittens, the closed eye was opened and the opposite optic nerve crushed. Some evidence was then found of structural recovery even after 14 weeks of deprivation. The hypothesis of cortical competition predicts functional recovery in such kittens, but this remains to be tested.