Influence of the visual cortex upon receptive field organization of lateral geniculate cells in rabbits

In anesthetized rabbits, the receptive fields of lateral geniculate cells were mapped prior to and following the interruption of the corticogeniculate feed-back. Visual cortex (V.C.) was depressed by a focal application of 3 M KCl. The responsiveness of the V.C. was verified by monitoring the visually evoked potentials. In off- and on-center cells, the surround excitatory responses were remarkably reduced and even fully abolished in most units. In contrast, the center excitation remained unmodified. These effects were reversible. In some on-center units the center response had also decreased, and was replaced by an evoked inhibitory response. Relay cells and interneurons which yielded on and off responses over the entire area of the receptive field exhibited a loss of only one of the evoked discharges. It is concluded that the V.C. exerts mostly a specific desinhibitory action upon the geniculate network. This action affects either the center or the surround responses differentially. The results are compared with those obtained from cats.