David Hubel - US grants

The main objective of this proposal is the creation of a new and more broadly based collaborative group of scientists whose work is focussed on vision. Studies to be undertaken by these investigators and already in progress include physiological, anatomical and chemical approaches, on animals ranging from rats and mice to humans. Neural circuitry of the retina will be examined using light and EM techniques, in normal animals, especially monkeys, and mutants (mice). Studies of the functional architecture of monkey visual cortex by anatomical and physiological methods will continue, concentrating in the immediate future on areas 17 and 18, and focussing on color and stereoscopic mechanisms. Chemical studies will be aimed mainly at learning what neurotransmitters are used at various stages in the visual path, and will be done in the intact animal, in brain slices, and in tissue culture. Studies on the crystalline lens will employ EM and light microscope techniques plus chemistry and electrophysiology. Clinical investigations of postnatal developing visual systems, ambylopia and other defects such as albinism will employ the techniques of psychophysics, electrophysiology (ERG) and, in animal studies of retina, chemistry. The maintenance of Core facilities will greatly aid the pooling of expert knowledge over this huge range of techniques and disciplines. The following modules are being requested: (1) Computer/Electronics; (2) EM/Histology; (3) Instrumentation; (4)\Machine Shop; and (5) Administration.

This is a continuation of a long-term endeavor to understand the visual cortex of cats and monkeys in terms of its single-cell physiology, and the groupings of cells according to their physiological properties. We wish to learn more, in both area 17 and 18, about the relationships between the different groupings, particularly between orientation columns, ocular dominance columns, and the recently discovered cytochrome blobs. The blobs are distinguished from the background by a number of enzymatic stains, by 2-deoxyglucose, and by proline injection into the eye or the lateral geniculate body. We plan to study the single-cell physiology of these structures, comparing receptive fields of cells within and outside the blobs. We will examine their inputs, outputs, and intrinsic connections, using a variety of anatomical methods: the Nauta method, retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase, orthograde transport of aminoacide, and the Golgi technique. We will study their enzyme histochemistry, development, and differences in different species including normal and blind or amblyopic humans.

health science research support; vision; biomedical facility; biomedical equipment development; electrophysiology;