Recovery of forelimb placing after lateral hypothalamic lesions in the cat: parallels and contrasts with development

Recovery of forelimb placing after lateral hypothalamic lesions in the cat is similar in several respects to the development of placing in kittens. In both recovery and development, the sequence in which sensory systems acquire control over placing is the same: vestibular--proprioceptive--tactile--visual. In addition, within each sensory modality, placing is initially sluggish, exaggerated in amplitude, and susceptible to rapid habituation. Unlike development, however, the recovery of visually guided placing does not require visuomotor experience.