Work has suggested that the effects of psychoactive drugs on visual performance may best be understood, and/or predicted, by studying differential effects of the drugs on functionally differentiated sets of neurones in visual projection systems in the brain.
This study demonstrates that the nucleus rotundus, an avian posterior thalamic visual relay nucleus homologous to parts of the mammalian lateralis posterior/pulvinar complex, is divided into at least three functionally distinct neurone subsets. The 'posterior' rotundal cells respond to any moving retinal image. Ventral rotundal cells respond preferentially to intensity modulation of moving or stationary stimuli. Anterior rotundal neurones respond preferentially to such abstract properties of moving stimuli as size, velocity, and direction of movement. All subnuclei may be further subdivided by function.
The findings reinforce current theories which suggest that pattern vision results from cortical integration of the outputs of many classes of pattern selective visual projection system neurones. Preliminary findings are also presented suggesting that effects of psychoactive drugs, such as ethanol, can indeed be predicted or understood by studies on differential effects on neurones in this model system.
The investigator studied the effects of ethanol on the spontaneous activity of single neurons in functionally differentiated subnuclei of a posterior ...
In his FY 92/93 Annual Program Guidance and Current Policy Statement, the Federal Air Surgeon requested continued investigation of new testing modalit...
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving a Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS)/National Transportation Library (NTL)
Web-based service.
Thank you for visiting.
You are about to access a non-government link outside of
the U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Transportation Library.
Please note: While links to Web sites outside of DOT are
offered for your convenience, when you exit DOT Web sites,
Federal privacy policy and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act (accessibility requirements) no longer apply. In
addition, DOT does not attest to the accuracy, relevance,
timeliness or completeness of information provided by linked
sites. Linking to a Web site does not constitute an
endorsement by DOT of the sponsors of the site or the
products presented on the site. For more information, please
view DOT's Web site linking policy.
To get back to the page you were previously viewing, click
your Cancel button.
United States Department of Transportation
[PDF-543.98 KB]
