Retinal projections to the accommodation-related area in the rostral superior colliculus of the cat

Results of previous studies have indicated that the rostral superior colliculus (SC) plays an important part in the control of accommodation. The present study was carried out to investigate retinal projections to the accommodation-related area in the rostral SC. We injected WGA-HRP into the accommodation-related area in the rostral SC of the cat, where accommodative responses were elicited by stimulation with weak currents of less than 20 microA. Following injection of WGA-HRP into the accommodation-related area in the rostral SC, retrogradely labeled ganglion cells were observed mainly in the area centralis. Projections from the contralateral eye were denser than those from the ipsilateral eye. Almost all retrogradely labeled cells were classified as gamma-cells owing to their small cell-body diameters and thin dendrites, although a few were classified as alpha-cells. These findings suggest that the accommodation-related area in the rostral SC is located in the portion corresponding to the area of representation of the central visual field and receives mainly gamma-cell projections.