Dark rearing in the cat: Effects on visuomotor behavior and cell growth in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus

The morphological and behavioral effects of complete binocular deprivation were studied by rearing cats from birth in total darkness. Nineteen animals were sacrificed immediately upon removal from the dark at intervals that ranged from 3 to 16 weeks. Measurements of cell sizes in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus revealed that dark rearing affects cell growth in two stages. During the first three months of dark rearing the growth rate of geniculate cells is reduced, and a maximum size difference between cells from light reared control animals and dark reared cats is seen at 12 weeks. However, during the fourth month of deprivation, geniculate cells recover from the effects of dark rearing, and grow to essentially normal size by 16 weeks.

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