Properties of visually sensitive neurons in lateral suprasylvian area of the cat

Abstract

Functional properties of neurons in lateral suprasylvian area were investigated by single unit recordings in unanesthetized cats with the brain stem pretrigeminal transection. Majority of cells in the lateral suprasylvian area responded vigorously to moving visual stimuli. Many of them were responsive only to the movement of black objects, without any reaction to the light stimuli, 78 percent of the observed neurons revealed direction selective properties, the remainder being direction nonselective. Seventy eight percent of neurons revealed well defined responses to stationary flashes of light and 26 percent showed multimodal type of responses to moving and stationary visual stimuli. The vertical organization of neurons in the lateral suprasylvian area was investigated. The present results indicate that a regular vertical organization of neurons exists in the lateral suprasylvian cortex of the cat.