Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol 39, Issue 2 401-419, Copyright © 1976 by APS

ARTICLES

Relationship between visual and tactile representations in cat superior colliculus

B. E. Stein, B. Magalhaes-Castro and L. Kruger

A stratified organization of visual, somatic and acoustic representations was observed in the cat SC. Cells of the superficial laminae were exclusively visual. Visual, somatic, and acoustic cells were observed in the intermediate laminae while the deeper laminae were predominantly nonvisual. A detailed examination of the tactile representation revealed a somatotopic plan which was in register with the overlying visuotopy. The magnified representation of central visual fields overlapped the magnified tactile representation of the face and, as visual RFS moved temporally, the underlying tactile RFS were displaced caudal and distal. This topographical overlap can be recognized if the visual field is depicted as a flexible sheet which is stretched over the body with the area centralis superimposed on the nose and the limbs radiating out at an acute angle. The overlapping topographies and similarities in stimulus specificity of somatic and visual cells, as well as the similar behavioral deficits previously described following SC lesions, suggests a functional parallel between modalities in the SC. The possibility that visual, somatic, and acoustic cells converge on a common delivery or distribution system, which is located in the intermediate-deeper SC strata and organizes orienting and following responses on the basis of multimodality cues, is discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. C. Alvarado, T. R. Stanford, J. W. Vaughan, and B. E. Stein Cortex Mediates Multisensory But Not Unisensory Integration in Superior Colliculus J. Neurosci., November 21, 2007; 27(47): 12775 - 12786. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. G. Lomber, S. Malhotra, and J. M. Sprague Restoration of Acoustic Orienting Into a Cortically Deaf Hemifield by Reversible Deactivation of the Contralesional Superior Colliculus: The Acoustic "Sprague Effect" J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2007; 97(2): 979 - 993. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Jiang, H. Jiang, and B. E. Stein Neonatal Cortical Ablation Disrupts Multisensory Development in Superior Colliculus J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2006; 95(3): 1380 - 1396. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Malhotra, A. J. Hall, and S. G. Lomber Cortical Control of Sound Localization in the Cat: Unilateral Cooling Deactivation of 19 Cerebral Areas J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2004; 92(3): 1625 - 1643. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Colonius and A. Diederich Multisensory Interaction in Saccadic Reaction Time: A Time-Window-of-Integration Model J. Cogn. Neurosci., July 1, 2004; 16(6): 1000 - 1009. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. C. Populin and T. C. T. Yin Bimodal Interactions in the Superior Colliculus of the Behaving Cat J. Neurosci., April 1, 2002; 22(7): 2826 - 2834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Frassinetti, F. Pavani, and E. Ladavas Acoustical Vision of Neglected Stimuli: Interaction among Spatially Converging Audiovisual Inputs in Neglect Patients J. Cogn. Neurosci., January 1, 2002; 14(1): 62 - 69. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Zangenehpour and A. Chaudhuri Neural Activity Profiles of the Neocortex and Superior Colliculus after Bimodal Sensory Stimulation Cereb Cortex, October 1, 2001; 11(10): 924 - 935. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. Jiang, M. T. Wallace, H. Jiang, J. W. Vaughan, and B. E. Stein Two Cortical Areas Mediate Multisensory Integration in Superior Colliculus Neurons J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2001; 85(2): 506 - 522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.F.W. Neggers and H. Bekkering Ocular Gaze is Anchored to the Target of an Ongoing Pointing Movement J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2000; 83(2): 639 - 651. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. C. Kadunce, J. W. Vaughan, M. T. Wallace, G. Benedek, and B. E. Stein Mechanisms of Within- and Cross-Modality Suppression in the Superior Colliculus J Neurophysiol, December 1, 1997; 78(6): 2834 - 2847. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Wallace and B. E. Stein Development of Multisensory Neurons and Multisensory Integration in Cat Superior Colliculus J. Neurosci., April 1, 1997; 17(7): 2429 - 2444. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Meredith and B. Stein Interactions among converging sensory inputs in the superior colliculus Science, July 22, 1983; 221(4608): 389 - 391. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. Newman and P. Hartline Integration of visual and infrared information in bimodal neurons in the rattlesnake optic tectum Science, August 14, 1981; 213(4509): 789 - 791. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Stein, H. Clamann, and S. Goldberg Superior colliculus: control of eye movements in neonatal kittens Science, October 3, 1980; 210(4465): 78 - 80. [Abstract] [PDF]

				N. Gaither and B. Stein Reptiles and mammals use similar sensory organizations in the midbrain Science, August 10, 1979; 205(4406): 595 - 597. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. Hartline, L Kass, and M. Loop Merging of modalities in the optic tectum: infrared and visual integration in rattlesnakes Science, March 17, 1978; 199(4334): 1225 - 1229. [Abstract] [PDF]