The paths and destinations of the induced ipsilateral retinal projection in goldfish

Adult goldfish had one tectal lobe removed surgically, and several months later, the eye contralateral to the missing tectum was injected with radioactive proline. Radioautographs of the brains were studied to trace the paths and termination sites of the optic fibers. The optic tract decussated at the chiasm, as normally, but then ran caudally in a large neuroma on the tectum-less side of the brain. Substantial numbers of fibers left this neuroma to enter two or more of five commissures, through which they recrossed the midline. These commissures: transverse, minor, horizontal, posterior and ansate, ordinarily contain few or no optic fibers. All are normally linked with the tectum. Negligible numbers of aberrant optic fibers recrossed the midline elsewhere. On the intact side of the brain, ipsilateral to the injected eye, the optic fibers innervated some or all of the nuclei and areas normally served by contralateral retinal fibers. An earlier behavioral study of these same fish had shown that some of them made reversed optokinetic nystagmus in response to stripe movement seen by the eye projecting ipsilaterally; others failed to respond to stimuli through this eye. In all the reversed responders, a caudal group of retinal projection sites was labeled ipsilaterally. This included the basal optic nucleus and the caudal portions of nucleus dorsolateralis thalami and area pretectalis. In the non-responders, these targets were not labeled ipsilaterally. Together, these results suggest that one or more of these three sites is or are responsible for optokinetic nystagmus in normal goldfish.