Correlation of Afferent Activity and Binocular Receptive Field Properties

摘要

A theoretical model of synaptic plasticity is used to examine the importance of the correlation of left eye and right eye afferent activities for the development of binocular receptive field properties in visual cortex. Generally, cortical cells that receive less binocularly correlated activity become less binocular. We argue that larger disparity decreases correlation and larger receptive field size increases correlation. Therefore, the consequences of normal uncorrelated activity are: first, disparity selective neurons that are optimally stimulated at the horopter tend to be more binocular than cells selective for nonzero disparities. Second, cortical cells with large receptive fields tend to be more binocular and can maintain larger disparities than small-field cells. Third, low levels of uncorrelated activity allow changes in ocular dominance that accentuate any ocular dominance organization present prior to visual experience. The model also readily accounts for the loss of binocularity caused by monocular deprivation, alternating occlusion, and strabismus.