Influence of the intertectal connection upon visual responses in the cat's superior colliculus.

Visual responses of single units in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus were examined in cats with pretrigeminal brainstem transections and lesions in the contralateral superior colliculus. The percentage of direction selective cells was decreased in lesioned as compared to non-lesioned cats. This effect may be a result of the elimination of suppression from the contralateral superior colliculus as well as disturbance of the projections from other structures of the contralateral hemisphere.