Analysis of monocular optokinetic nystagmus in normal and visually deprived kittens.

The asymmetry of monocular OKN was assessed in normal, monocularly deprived (non-deprived eye) and strabismic cats. No significant differences were observed between the responses of these 3 groups. In young kittens, the gain of OKN for nasalward stimulus movement was larger than that for temporalward. This asymmetry declined to a low residual level by about one year of age. Neurophysiological recordings indicated that the symmetry of OKN is not related to cortical binocularity.