Cortical plasticity in monocularly deprived immobilized kittens depends on eye movement

A marked reduction of binocular cells in striate cortex is found if 4-week-old kittens are visually stimulated monocularly while anesthetized and held in a stereotaxic apparatus. If the kittens are paralyzed and artificially respirated, changes are not found unless an eye is moved mechanically. It appears that eye movement and visual stimulation are necessary conditions for deactivation of binocular connections, but neither is sufficient to induce such changes alone.