Fig. 4: LGN activity is modulated by eye closure.

a Responses of Unit #12 to monocularly presented checkerboards. b Responses from the simultaneously recorded Unit #10. c Ocularity and Binocularity index values from units that were tested with monocular stimuli. Error-bars indicate of ±1 bootstrap estimate of s.e.m. d Spontaneous activity of ipsilateral preferring unit #12. Each dot shows a trial. The pink line shows the best fitting linear regression. Variations in spike isolation were not responsible for the drift in spontaneous rate (Fig. S7a). e Response of Unit #12 to monocular stimuli. Black and white dots indicate responses to opposite phases of the checkerboard. The pink line is the regression line from (d). The inset shows the mean waveform and standard deviation (shaded region in all panels). f Responses from unit #10 with a relatively narrow waveform. Spontaneous activity increased when the preferred eye was shut. g Unit #13 had a narrow waveform and increased baseline activity when the preferred eye was shut. This unit was recorded simultaneously with units in (e, f). h The effects of eye-closure on spontaneous activity across the population. ΔSpontaneous activity was calculated as the firing rate with the preferred eye open minus the non-preferred eye open. The two units with the narrowest waveforms (peak-trough <250 µS, Units #10, #13) strongly decreased their activity when the preferred eye was shut. Vertical offsets were added to improve visibility. Error bars indicate ±1 s.e.m. i Peak-to-trough distances from all units in both patients. The sample was too small for a test of bimodality of the distribution. j Summary of effects of eye closure on spontaneous activity in the left LGN. Only strongly monocular units are shown (|OCIX | > 0.5). Cells were classified as having increased/decreased activity if the absolute change in spontaneous firing rate was greater than 5 Hz or larger than 25%. The two cells with the narrowest waveforms (circles) increased activity when the preferred eye was shut. The other units decreased (increased) their firing rate when their preferred eye was shut (open). Unit #1 was exceptional because the spontaneous firing rate increased in both monocular conditions. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.