Effects of monocular deprivation on the development of visual inhibitory interactions in kittens.

A visual-evoked-potential (VEP) masking technique was used to assess the effects of short- and long-term monocular deprivation on the development of visual inhibitory interactions in kittens. VEP contrast-response curves were recorded in response to contrast-reversed sinusoidal gratings, both with and without superimposed high-contrast masks. The contrast-response curves measured from the nondeprived eye were similar to those of normal cats: with no mask VEP amplitudes increase with contrast up to saturation at about 10% contrast; parallel masks shift the curves to the right, decreasing thresholds; and orthogonal masks decrease the slope of the contrast-response curves without affecting thresholds. After monocular deprivation (either brief or extensive), the contrast-response curves without mask did not show the typical response saturation, and neither parallel nor orthogonal mask had any effect on the contrast-response curves. The masking effects did not return after 100 days of normal vision, although contrast sensitivity and acuity recovered to about half of the normal levels during that period. The results indicate that the inhibitory intracortical circuitry that mediates the orientation-dependent masking effects are highly vulnerable to visual experience.