Binocular interaction in the optokinetic system of the crab Carcinus maenas (L.): optokinetic gain modified by...

We recorded optokinetic eye movements of the crab, Carcinus maenas, in split-drum experiments. The patterns were either oscillated in antiphase on both sides mimicking translational image flow or they were oscillated in phase producing rotational image flow. Eye movements elicited by the rotational stimulus were larger than those produced by the pseudotranslational pattern movements. The smaller response to the latter is mainly a consequence of binocular interaction, the strength of which depends on both the phase-shift and amplitude of pattern oscillation. We develop two hypotheses to explain our results: either (1) signals from each eye modify the gain of the linkage signals coming from the other eye, or (2) the signals coming from the other eye modify the gain of the control loop itself. Quantitative evaluation of the data favors the second of these two hypotheses, which comprises the models of Barnes and Horridge (1969) and Nalbach et al. (1985). In addition, we found that it is the signals from the two slow channels of the crab's movement-detecting system that are transferred from one eye to the other, while signals of the fastest channel act almost exclusively ipsilaterally. We discuss our results as an adaptation by which an animal with panoramic vision compensates exclusively the rotational component of image flow during locomotion. The fact that freely walking crabs distinguish the two components of image flow better than restrained crabs indicates that further visual and nonvisual signals help to disentangle image flow.