IMPAIRMENT OF STEREOACUITY IN CATS WITH OCULOMOTOR PROPRIOCEPTIVE DEAFFERENTATION

Stereoacuity was measured with an operant conditioning technique in adult cats with unilateral deafferentation of oculomotor proprioception (section of the ophthalmic branch of the fifth cranial nerve) Binocular stereoacuity was found not to exceed monocular depth sensitivity, in contrast to what is obtained in oral cats. The results confirm previous findings and indicate a role of oculomotor proprioception in binocular depth perception of the cat.