Artículo de revista
Spatial clustering of orientation preference in primary visual cortex of the large rodent agouti
Fecha
2021-01-22Registro en:
2589-0042
Autor
Ferreiro, Dardo N.
Conde-Ocazionez, Sergio A.
Patriota, Joao H.N.
Souza, Lua C.
Oliveira, Moacir F.
Wolf, Fred
Schmidt, Kerstin E.
Institución
Resumen
All rodents investigated so far possess orientation-selective neurons in the primary
visual cortex (V1) but – in contrast to carnivores and primates – no evidence of periodic maps with pinwheel-like structures. Theoretical studies debating whether
phylogeny or universal principles determine development of pinwheels point to
V1 size as a critical constraint. Thus, we set out to study maps of agouti, a big diurnal
rodent with a V1 size comparable to cats’. In electrophysiology, we detected interspersed orientation and direction-selective neurons with a bias for horizontal contours, corroborated by homogeneous activation in optical imaging. Compatible
with spatial clustering at short distance, nearby neurons tended to exhibit similar
orientation preference. Our results argue against V1 size as a key parameter in
determining the presence of periodic orientation maps. They are consistent with
a phylogenetic influence on the map layout and development, potentially reflecting
distinct retinal traits or interspecies differences in cortical circuitry.