Responsiveness of cells in the cat's superior colliculus to textured visual stimuli

Responses to texture motion (visual noise) were investigated in the superior colliculus of paralysed cats, lightly anaesthetized with N2O/O2 supplemented with pentobarbitone or Althesin. Within the superficial layers two classes of texture-sensitive neurones were found: Type I units with weak responses to noise, often related to specific elements in the texture and Type II units which were driven independently of the texture structure, and tended to be recorded deep to the Type I units. Type III units recorded from the deep collicular layers were insensitive to texture. Anatomical bases for this differential sensitivity and the notion of two collicular subsystems are discussed.