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Neural adaptation in humans and cats subjected to long term optical reversal of vision : an experimental and analytical study of plasticity

The human vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is known to undergo major plastic modification in coping with sensory conflict brought about by optical reversing prisms. The first phase of this study proposes a simple model to account for this modifiability in terms of known neurophysiology. To study the phenomenon further two series of experiments were conducted on long-term vision-reversed cats. For this a new computer technique was developed to analyse oculomotor responses. The first series studied the time course and amplitude dependence of adaptation; the second, the frequency response of the fully adapted system. The adaptive process exhibited strict limitations, the functional effectiveness of which is quantitatively defined. The findings as a whole suggest that adaptive mechanisms other than the VOR are at play and that far more complex interactions exist between vestibulo- and visual-motor mechanisms than originally envisaged.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.68490
Date January 1978
CreatorsDavies, Peter Robert Talbot.
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageDoctor of Philosophy (Department of Electrical Engineering)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 000319342, proquestno: AAINK42911, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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