METABOLIC MAPPING OF VISUAL AREAS IN THE BEHAVING CAT - A [C-14] 2-DEOXYGLUCOSE STUDY

Visually responsive cortical areas and subcortical nuclei were studied in the awake cat using the 2-deoxyglucose technique. Visual input was confined to one hemisphere by unilaterally sectioning the optic tract , the corpus callosum and the commissura anterior. Within the intact h emisphere, numerous cortical regions were distinguishable in the autor adiographs due to differential labelling. Comparison of the intact wit h the visually deafferented hemisphere confirmed the visual character of eighteen cortical areas (areas 17, 18, 19, 20a, 20b, 21a, 21b, the posteromedial lateral, posterolateral lateral, anteromedial lateral, a nterolateral lateral, dorsal lateral, ventral lateral, and posterior s uprasylvian areas, the splenial and anterior ectosylvian sylvian areas , insular visual area and posterior area 7) and revealed the visual na ture of an area in the posterior cingulate gyrus which had not been de scribed previously. We refer to this area as cingulate visual area (CV A). This area exhibits a gradient in interhemispheric differences alon g a caudorostral axis similar to that observed in posterior area 7 whi ch is in keeping with the strong and topographic connections between C VA and posterior area 7. These results support the validity of metabol ic mapping for the characterisation of cortical areas. (C) 1995 Wiley- Lies, Inc.