Lillian Tong | University of Wisconsin-Madison (original) (raw)

Papers by Lillian Tong

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, Feb 1, 1987

A visual cortex lesion made in adult cats leads to a loss of direction selectivity and a loss of ... more A visual cortex lesion made in adult cats leads to a loss of direction selectivity and a loss of response to the ipsilateral eye among cells in posteromedial lateral suprasylvian (PMLS) cortex of cats. However, a visual cortex lesion made in young cats results in normal direction selectivity and normal ocular dominance in PMLS cortex. Thus cats with an early lesion demonstrate functional compensation in PMLS cortex. The present experiment determined whether the functional compensation depends upon an intact corpus callosum. Cats received a unilateral visual cortex lesion on the day of birth (day 1) or at 8 weeks of age. When the cats were adult, the corpus callosum was sectioned and 24 hours later recordings were made in PMLS cortex ipsilateral to the visual cortex lesion. Results were compared to cats with a similar lesion and an intact corpus callosum. In cats with a lesion made on day 1, a corpus callosum section did not affect receptive-field properties or ocular dominance in PMLS cortex. Therefore, functional compensation is not dependent on input via the corpus callosum in these animals. However, in cats with a lesion made at 8 weeks. a corpus callosum section resulted in a decrease in the percentage of direction-selective cells and in the percentage of cells driven by the ipsilateral eye. Despite the decrease, the percentage of direction-selective cells still was greater than in cats with an adult unilateral visual cortex lesion. Thus, while partly dependent on callosal inputs, some functional compensation for direction selectivity remains on the basis of ipsilateral inputs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, Dec 15, 1991

Previous transneuronal anterograde tracing studies have shown that the retino-thalamic pathway to... more Previous transneuronal anterograde tracing studies have shown that the retino-thalamic pathway to the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian (PMLS) visual area of cortex is heavier than normal in adult cats that received neonatal damage to visual cortical areas 17, 18, and 19. In contrast, the strength of this projection does not appear to differ from that in normal animals in cats that experienced visual cortex damage as adults. In the present study, we used retrograde tracing methods to identify the thalamic cells that project to the PMLS cortex in adult cats that had received a lesion of visual cortex during infancy or adulthood. In five kittens, a unilateral visual cortex lesion was made on the day of birth, and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was injected into the PMLS cortex of both hemispheres when the animals were 10.5 to 13 months old. For comparison, HRP was injected bilaterally into the PMLS cortex of three cats 6.5 to 13.5 months after they received a similar unilateral visual cortex lesion as adults. In cats with a neonatal lesion, retrograde labeling was found in the large neurons that survive in the otherwise degenerated layers A and A1 of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) ipsilateral to the lesion. Retrograde labeling of A-layer neurons was not seen in the undamaged hemisphere of these animals or in either hemisphere of animals that had received a lesion as adults. As in normal adult cats, retrograde labeling also was present in the C layers of the LGN, the medial interlaminar nucleus, the posterior nucleus of Rioch, the lateral posterior nucleus, and the pulvinar nucleus ipsilateral to a neonatal or adult lesion. Quantitative estimates indicate that the number of labeled cells is much larger than normal in the C layers of the LGN ipsilateral to a neonatal visual cortex lesion. Thus the results indicate that the heavier than normal projection from the thalamus to PMLS cortex that exists in adult cats after neonatal visual cortex damage arises, at least in part, from surviving LGN neurons in the A and C layers of the LGN. Although several thalamic nuclei, as well as the C layers of the LGN, continue to project to PMLS cortex after an adult visual cortex lesion, these projections appear not to be affected significantly by the lesion.

Develop Psychol, 1973

... MULLER-LYER VERSUS SIZE/REFLECTANCE-CONTRAST ILLUSION 13 shed further light on the complexiti... more ... MULLER-LYER VERSUS SIZE/REFLECTANCE-CONTRAST ILLUSION 13 shed further light on the complexities of the Miiller-Lyer illusion with respect to reflec-tance ... Concerning Reflectance and Fixation After each adult subject had finished the basic experiment, six additional ...

Vision: Structure and Function, 1988

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 1986

Previous studies have shown that antibodies against large retinal ganglion cells (alpha-/Y-cells)... more Previous studies have shown that antibodies against large retinal ganglion cells (alpha-/Y-cells) reduce the Y-cell retinogeniculate pathway while having little or no effect on the X- or W-cell pathways. The present study investigated the dose-response relationship of these effects. We began by studying effects on the T1 (largely Y-cell-mediated) and T2 (largely X-cell-mediated) waves of the retinal field-potential. Different concentrations of the antibodies were injected intraocularly in adult cats and retinal field-potentials evoked by optic chiasm stimulation were examined. The lowest concentration of immune serum tested (330 micrograms/100 microliter volume) reduced both the T1 and T2 amplitudes. With increasing concentrations, the ratio of T1:T2 amplitudes progressively decreased from 0.71 to only 0.05. The highest concentration of immune serum tested (1000 micrograms/100 microliter volume) virtually eliminated the T1 wave while the T2 wave remained (albeit reduced). Next, we c...

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 1984

The critical period of susceptibility to effects of monocular deprivation was compared in striate... more The critical period of susceptibility to effects of monocular deprivation was compared in striate cortex and the lateral suprasylvian (LS) visual area of cortex. Twenty-three cats received monocular lid suture for a period of 4 weeks beginning at 4, 12, 18, 26, or 35 weeks of age or as adults. Immediately following the deprivation, single cell recordings were carried out in both cortical areas of each cat. Recordings also were made from five normally reared control cats. For both striate and LS cortex, early monocular deprivation had marked effects on neuronal ocular dominance, including an increased percentage of cells dominated by the nondeprived eye, a decreased percentage of cells dominated by the deprived eye, and a decreased percentage of binocularly driven cells. In both cortical areas, these effects were maximal in animals deprived at 4 weeks of age. Both areas then showed similar monotonic declines in effects of the deprivation following onsets from 4 to 18 weeks of age. Ho...

By adjusting the orientation of, and separation between, two free-standing dots, Ss indicated dir... more By adjusting the orientation of, and separation between, two free-standing dots, Ss indicated directions and distances associated with the Poggendorff display (a transversal interrupted by parallel lines). Judged distance between parallels (with transversal absent) increased slightly when additional interior parallels were added; this Oppel effect can be interpreted as contour repulsion. Errors in judging the orientation of an actual transversal segment were too small to account for the Poggendorff effect. The usual large errors occurred for estimates of the orientation of the missing transversal segment between the parallel lines. Cognitive mistracking adequately describes the Poggendorff effect. Mistracking is a function of the angle subtended between transversal and parallels, and of the orientation of the entire display.

Visual Neuroscience, 1992

The present study tested the hypothesis that nondominant-eye influences on lateral geniculate nuc... more The present study tested the hypothesis that nondominant-eye influences on lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons affect the processing of spatial and contrast information from the dominant eye. To do this, we determined the effects of stimulating the nondominant eye at its optimal spatial frequency on the responses of LGN cells to sine-wave gratings of different spatial frequency and contrast presented to the dominant eye. Detailed testing was carried out on 49 cells that had statistically significant responses to stimulation of the nondominant eye alone. Spatial-frequency response functions to nondominant-eye stimulation indicated that the responses were spatially tuned, as reported previously (Guido et al., 1989). Optimal spatial frequencies through the nondominant eye were significantly correlated with the optimal spatial frequencies through the dominant eye (r = 0.54; P less than 0.0001), and the optimal spatial frequencies were fairly similar for the two eyes. Nondominant-eye stimulation changed the maximal amplitude of the fundamental (F1) response to dominant-eye stimulation for only about 45% (22 of 49) of the cells that responded to nondominant-eye stimulation alone. The response vs. contrast function through the dominant eye was altered for 73% of the cells (51% independent of spatial frequency). Three types of effects were observed: a change in the initial slope of the response vs. contrast function (contrast gain), a change in the response amplitude at which saturation occurred, or an overall change in response at all contrasts. The incidence of these changes was similar for X and Y cells in LGN layers A, A1, and C (only four W cells were tested). Nondominant-eye stimulation had little or no effect on the sizes or sensitivities of the receptive-field centers or surrounds for the dominant eye. In addition, nondominant-eye stimulation had little or no effect on optimal spatial frequency, spatial resolution, or the bandwidth of spatial-frequency contrast sensitivity curves for the dominant eye. Possible functions of binocular interactions in the LGN are considered. The present results suggest a role in interocular contrast-gain control. Interocular contrast differences can occur before the acquisition of binocular fusion, when the two eyes are viewing different aspects of a visual stimulus. Psychophysical and physiological studies suggest that an interocular mechanism exists to maintain relatively constant binocular interactions despite differences in interocular contrast. The present results suggest that at least part of this mechanism occurs in the LGN.

Vision Research, 1979

Evidence will be presented which shows that when a sub-area of a rat ganglion cell's receptive fi... more Evidence will be presented which shows that when a sub-area of a rat ganglion cell's receptive field is illuminated or bleached. the desensitizing effects of exposure to light are not confined to the exposed area. We will argue that our findings indicate that adaptive signals are pooled. but not uniformly. The weighting function for adaptive pooling falls off sharply within the centre of the ganglion cells' receptive field. Thus. it seems that adaptation in the rat occurs at a site or sites distal to the ganglion cell. These sites could be within the layer of photoreceptors, but are probably more proximal in the retina.

Vision Research, 1977

... LATERAL SPREAD OF LIGHT ADAPTATION IN THE RAT RETINA1 DANIEL G. GREEN, LILLIAN TONG and CAROL... more ... LATERAL SPREAD OF LIGHT ADAPTATION IN THE RAT RETINA1 DANIEL G. GREEN, LILLIAN TONG and CAROL M. CICERONE Vision ... can contribute significantly to the sensitivity changes measured in more proximal neurons (Grabowski, Pinto and Pak, 1972; Kleinschmidt ...

Science, 1982

Recordings were made from single retinal ganglion cell somas in cats whose visual cortical areas ... more Recordings were made from single retinal ganglion cell somas in cats whose visual cortical areas 17 and 18 were damaged on the day of birth or in adulthood. Neonatal lesions produced a 78 percent loss of X-cells in the retina, while lesions made in adulthood produced a 22 percent loss. Y-cells and W-cells were unaffected. This retinal abnormality needs to be considered when interpreting studies of behavioral deficits and neural mechanisms of recovery after damage to the visual cortex.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1991

In the study reported in the preceding paper, we used retrograde labeling methods to show that th... more In the study reported in the preceding paper, we used retrograde labeling methods to show that the enhanced projection from the thalamus to the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian (PMLS) visual area of cortex that is present in adult cats following neonatal visual cortex damage arises at least partly from surviving neurons in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). In the C layers of the LGN, many more cells than normal are retrogradely labeled by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) injected into PMLS cortex ipsilateral to a visual cortex lesion. In addition, retrogradely labeled cells are found in the A layers, which normally have no projection to PMLS cortex in adult cats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms of this enhanced projection by examining the normal development of projections from the thalamus, especially the LGN, to PMLS cortex. Injections of HRP were made into PMLS cortex on the day of birth or at 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks of age. Retrogradely labeled neurons were present in the lateral posterior nucleus, posterior nucleus of Rioch, pulvinar, and medial interlaminar nucleus, as well as in the LGN, at all ages studied. Within the LGN of the youngest kittens, a small number of retrogradely labeled cells was present in the interlaminar zones and among the cells in the A layers that border these zones. Such labeled cells were virtually absent by 8 weeks of age, and they are not found in normal adult cats. Sparse retrograde labeling of C-layer neurons also was present in newborn kittens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1987

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1982

The thalamic afferents to two areas of the lateral suprasylvian visual cortex in the cat were stu... more The thalamic afferents to two areas of the lateral suprasylvian visual cortex in the cat were studied by using retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Injections were localized retinotopically with electrophysiological recording. The posteromedial lateral suprasylvian area (PMLS) of Palmer et al. ('78) receives afferents from the pulvinar (P), the posterior nucleus of Rioch (PN), the C-laminae of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd) and the centrolateral (CL), lateral posterior (LP), medial interlaminar (MIN) nuclei. The anteromedial lateral suprasylvian area (AMLS) receives afferents from CL, P, LP, PN, MIN, and probably from the posterior nuclear group (PO), and the lateral dorsal (LD) and ventral anterior (VA) nuclei. The LP-pulvinar complex has been divided into four zones on the basis of connectivity: geniculate wing, pulvinar, the lateral division of LP, and the interjacent division of LP (Updyke, '77; Graybiel and Berson, '80; Guillery et al., '80). The locations of labeled cells in the present experiments suggest that both AMLS and PMLS receive afferents from each of the four zones, although differences exist in the strength of the projections. While AMLS and PMLS receive afferents from many of the same nuclei (CL, P, LP, PN, and MIN), differences in their afferents also were noted. These differences are of three types. The first is that some nuclei project to only one of the cortical areas. PMLS alone receives input from the C-laminae of the LGNd while AMLS alone receives probable input from PO, LD, and VA. The second difference is in the strength of the projection from some nuclei. AMLS receives a stronger projection from CL and P than does PMLS. The third difference concerns the pattern of distribution of neurons that project to each cortical area. Labeled cells in LP are dispersed after an AMLS injection, but are found in clusters or bands after a PMLS injection. Thus our results indicate that the thalamic afferents to AMLS and PMLS are in general similar: however, differences in input to AMLS and PMLS suggest that inputs to PMLS are predominantly visual while AMLS receives a broader spectrum of afferent information.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 1986

Area 17 and the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian (PMLS) visual cortex receive inputs from three... more Area 17 and the posteromedial lateral suprasylvian (PMLS) visual cortex receive inputs from three thalamic nuclei in common: the lateral division of the lateral posterior nucleus (LPl), the C-laminae of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd), and the medial interlaminar nucleus (MIN). The present study determined whether these projections originate from the same cells via bifurcating axons or from separate populations of cells. Double-label retrograde transport techniques were used to label cells projecting to area 17 with one fluorescent dye and to label cells projecting to PMLS cortex with a different dye. The two dyes used were fast blue and Evans blue. Following injections into the two cortical areas, some cells were double labeled and some were single labeled in all three thalamic nuclei studied. However, the relative number of double- and single-labeled cells, as well as the relative number of cells single-labeled following injections into each cortical area, differed among the three thalamic nuclei. In both MIN and the C-laminae of the LGNd, the number of double-labeled cells was small. Similarly, the number of cells single labeled with the dye placed in PMLS cortex was small in these two nuclei. In contrast, a relatively large number of cells were single labeled with the dye placed in area 17, especially in the C-laminae of the LGNd. These results suggest that in both MIN and the C-laminae of the LGNd, few cells project to both area 17 and the PMLS cortex, few cells project only to PMLS cortex, and a relatively greater number of cells project only to area 17. In LPl, many cells were labeled after the cortical injections. In fact, when the areas of densest labeling for both dyes overlapped, almost every labeled cell in LPl was double labeled. This indicates that almost all LPl cells that project to one cortical area also project to the other via a bifurcating axon.

Experimental Brain Research, 1992

ing of PMLS cells in normal cats and cats with long-term VC damage received early in life or as a... more ing of PMLS cells in normal cats and cats with long-term VC damage received early in life or as adults. These findings are discussed in relation to the inputs to PMLS cortex and to the behavioral abilities of cats with VC damage at different ages. The implications for understanding the role of lateral suprasylvian visual cortex in behavioral recovery from VC damage is considered.

Experimental Brain Research, 1990

Previous studies have shown that functional compensation is present in the cat's posteromedial la... more Previous studies have shown that functional compensation is present in the cat's posteromedial lateral suprasyivian (PMLS) area of cortex after damage to areas 17, 18, and 19 (visual cortex) early in life but not after damage in adults. These studies all have investigated animals with a unilateral visual cortex lesion, whereas all behavioral studies of compensation for early visual cortex damage have investigated animals with a bilateral lesion. In the present experiment, we investigated whether functional compensation also is present in PMLS cortex after a bilateral visual cortex lesion early in life. We recorded from single neurons in the PMLS cortex of adult cats that had received a bilateral lesion of areas 17, 18, and 19 on the day of birth or at 8 weeks of age. We found that PMLS cells in both groups of cats had functional compensation (normal direction selectivity and ocular dominance) similar to that seen after a unilateral lesion at the same ages. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that PMLS cortex is involved in the behavioral compensation seen after early visual cortex damage. In addition, the results indicate that inputs from contralateral visual cortex are not necessary for the development of functional compensation seen in PMLS cortex.

Developmental Psychology, 1973