(Not in Brain Scans etc
Plate 8. Left: Visual cortex is composed of columns of cells responsive to lines of different orientation (see colour code at right). In normal developing cats, a dramatic sharpening of the borders occurs between postnatal (P) days 21 and 33. In cats whose eyes have been sutured shut, the orientation columns develop normally until P26 and then their responses deteriorate rapidly. Patterned stimulation is only necessary for maintenance, not for formation, of the orientation columns (reprinted with permission from Crair et al. (1998). Science, 279, p.566. © 1998 American Association for the Advancement of Science). www.sciencemag.org.