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Ocular dominance columns in the adult New World Monkey Callithrix jacchus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2001

CATHERINE CHAPPERT-PIQUEMAL
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, UMR5549 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France
CAROLINE FONTA
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, UMR5549 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France
FRANÇOIS MALECAZE
Affiliation:
Service Ophtalmologique Hôpital Purpan, place Dr Baylac, 31059 Toulouse Cedex, France
MICHEL IMBERT
Affiliation:
Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, UMR5549 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université Paul Sabatier, Faculté de Médecine de Rangueil, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France

Abstract

In the marmoset Callithrix jacchus, ocular dominance columns (ODC) have been reported to be present in young animals, but absent in adults (Spatz, 1989). We have studied in juvenile and adult animals the postnatal organization of the retino-geniculo-cortical afferents by means of transneuronal labeling. We show in the present work that ODC are present in the primary visual cortex of Callithrix jacchus, both in the adult and in the juvenile animal. The present work confirms the presence of ODC in the visual cortex of juvenile marmoset before the end of the first postnatal month. In 2-month-old animals, ODC are well demarcated in IVcα and IVcβ. In the adult marmosets, the present data clearly show that the primary visual cortex is also organized with ODC. In horizontal sections, they form a mosaic through the ventral and dorsal calcarine cortex and through the dorso-lateral occipital part of the striate cortex. In frontal sections, their presence is manifest in IVcβ within the calcarine cortex and they only faintly appear in IVcα. These new findings are important since they underline the usefulness of the adult New World Monkeys as a model in visual research.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2001 Cambridge University Press

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