The effect of occipital ablation on visual sensitivity in young and old rats

The effect of occipital ablation on the visual sensitivity to low levels of illumination in young and old rats was studied using a signal detection task. A significant decrease in sensitivity following ablation was found for both age groups, which could be eliminated by increasing the apparent brightness of the visual stimuli. Results are discussed in terms of the role of the occipital cortex in detecting low levels of illumination.