Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 1975 · 36 citations · 24 references
MedicineDevelopmental BiologyNeuroscienceBinocular VisionDevelopmental NeuroscienceVisual DevelopmentEye DevelopmentNeural DevelopmentOcular DevelopmentOcular MorphogenesisRetinal DevelopmentVisual SystemBinocular InteractionsRotationsSpatial RotationsXenopus Developmental Models
Abstract The functional synaptic relationships in a system of neuronal connexions linking the two optic tecta in Xenopus laevis may change following rotation of one eye. This ability of the intertectal connexions to adjust to an altered spatial relationship between the two eyes was examined at various developmental stages. It was found that the system could respond to eye rotations as large as 180° provided that such rotations were performed before stage 58. The system did not respond even to small eye rotations if the latter were performed in adult life. For eye rotations performed during metamorphic climax (stages 60–66), alterations of intertectal connexions occurred if the rotations were 90° or less but not if the rotation were larger than 90°. The capacity of the intertectal system to modify its pattern of connexions in response to changes in the relative positions of the two eyes thus reduces with increasing age. A possible role, for this intertectal plasticity, in normal development is discussed.
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