Absence of Adaptive Modification in Developing Retinotectal Connections in Frogs after Visual Deprivation or Disparate Stimulation of the Eyes

Abstract

Action potentials evoked in the tectum by visual stimulation of the ipsilateral eye were absent in frog larvae and developed during metamorphosis. Formation of the connections underlying these responses is not based on the animal's visual experience. The development of the ipsilateral retinotectal projection occurred normally in frogs reared through metamorphosis in the dark from midlarval stages to adults. Inversion of one eye of frog larvae did not affect the development of ipsilateral retinotectal projections, which developed according to the inherent correspondences between the retinae regardless of the disparities produced by changing the relative positions of the eyes. No compensatory changes occurred in the retinotectal projections in response to the surgical derangement. Skin grafts completely occluding one eye, which were made at early larval stages and left in place for up to 88 days, did not affect the development of normal ipsilateral retinotectal connections. However, abnormal ipsilateral tectal responses evoked by stimulation through either the normal eye or the occluded eye were found in adult frogs after occlusion of one eye from larval stages for more than 121 days. It was concluded that visual stimulation is not required for the normal development of ipsilateral retinotectal connections but is required for their long-term maintenance.