Pinwheel stabilization by ocular dominance segregation

TL;DR

This paper introduces an analytical model showing how ocular dominance segregation can stabilize and generate pinwheels in visual cortex development, with pinwheel density influenced by eye dominance and inter-map coupling.

Contribution

It provides a novel analytical framework linking ocular dominance segregation to pinwheel stabilization and crystallization in cortical maps.

Findings

Ocular dominance segregation can induce pinwheel formation.

Pinwheel density depends on eye dominance and inter-map coupling strength.

Transition from stripe solutions to pinwheel-rich states occurs with increased coupling.

Abstract

We present an analytical approach for studying the coupled development of ocular dominance and orientation preference columns. Using this approach we demonstrate that ocular dominance segregation can induce the stabilization and even the production of pinwheels by their crystallization in two types of periodic lattices. Pinwheel crystallization depends on the overall dominance of one eye over the other, a condition that is fulfilled during early cortical development. Increasing the strength of inter-map coupling induces a transition from pinwheel-free stripe solutions to intermediate and high pinwheel density states.