Summary
Of binocularly-activated striate neurons only a proportion have their two receptive fields in exactly corresponding positions in the contralateral hemifield. Those which are not corresponding are said to show receptive field disparity. Because the eyes diverge in the anaesthetized and paralyzed preparation, the binocular receptive fields are horizontally separate. With increasing retinal eccentricity there is a gradual decrease in this horizontal separation as well as progressive changes in the local receptive field disparities. With increasing horizontal retinal eccentricity there is a progressive increase in horizontal receptive field disparities together with a smaller decrease in vertical disparities. Receptive field disparities are relatively unaffected by increasing vertical retinal eccentricity.
A neurophysiological theory for binocular single vision and depth discrimination is put forward as a theoretical framework for the construction of the horopter for the cat as well as a region analogous to Panum's fusional area in man.
Observations have been made on the responses, particularly to moving slit stimuli, of units with peripherally-located receptive fields. For several binocular units it was possible to study the full range of the binocular interaction when the two receptive fields were moved from exact correspondence to positions of increasing non-alignment.
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Joshua, D.E., Bishop, P.O. Binocular single vision and depth discrimination. Receptive field disparities for central and peripheral vision and binocular interaction on peripheral single units in cat striate cortex. Exp Brain Res 10, 389–416 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324766
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02324766