Cortical suppression of the ritino-collicular pathway in the monocularly deprived cat

1. In nine cats monocularly deprived from birth, the responses of single neurones in the superior colliculus contralateral to the deprived eye were studied. 2. In six animals most units could be driven by visual stimuli only through the ipsilateral (experienced) eye despite the fact that this colliculus receives a major input from the contralateral (deprived) retina. 3. Immediately following removal of visual cortex, including areas 17, 18 and 19, the collicular units could be driven by the deprived eye. 4. We conclude that the cortex must exert a powerful suppression of the retino-collicular input, and we argue that this suppression occurs in normal as well as in monocularly deprived animals. 5. In three animals the retinal input from the deprived eye was not suppressed but instead dominated many collicular celld, apparently to the exclusion of the cortical input from the experienced eye.