Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Visual System Anomaly associated with Albinism in the Cat

Abstract

ALBINISM is associated with functional incompetence of the non-decussating optic fibres. Discovered in the Norwegian rat1, the incompetence has been confirmed and extended in behavioural, anatomical and electrophysiological studies of rats and rabbits2–5. Because sensory-neural deficiencies have also been observed in human albinos6, it is possible that this anomaly of the visual pathway is a highly general, trans-species phenomenon. To obtain further evidence, I performed electrophysiological studies on both the natural-population feline and its Siamese (that is, albinic) counterpart7.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sheridan, C. L., J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 59, 292 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lund, R. D., Science, 149, 1506 (1965).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Creel, D. J., Dustman, R. E., and Beck, E. C., Proc. Amer. Psych. Assoc., 77, 245 (1969); Creel, D. J., and Sheridan, C. L., Psychon. Sci., 6, 89 (1966); Montero, V. M., Brugge, J. F., and Beitel, R. E., J. Neurophysiol., 31, 221 (1968).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Giolli, R. A., and Guthrie, M. D., J. Comp. Neurol., 136, 99 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Creel, D. J., Dustman, R. E., and Beck, E. C., Exp. Neurol., 29, 298 (1970); Creel, D. J., Dustman, R. E., and Beck, E. C., J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 73, 490 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Brown, R. V., J. Hered., 59, 218 (1968); Reed, W. B., Stone, V. M., Boder, E., and Ziprkowski, L., Arch. Derm., 95, 176 (1967); Tietz, W., Amer. J. Human Genet., 15, 259 (1963); Woolf, C. M., Dolowitz, D. A., and Aldous, H. E., Arch. Otolarnygol., 82, 244 (1965).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Peltz, R. S., Cat Fancy, 5, 50 (1967); Robinson, R., Bibl. Genetica, 18, 273 (1959); Shaw, D. H., J. Cat Genet., 1, 16 (1961); Sinnott, E. W., Dunn, L. C., and Dobzhansky, T., Principles of Genetics (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1958).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Justesen, D. R., Pendleton, R. B., Porter, P. B., and Romney, R., Psychon. Monog. Suppl., 1, 207 (1966).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Jasper, H. H., and Ajmone-Marsan, C., A Stereotaxic Atlas of the Diencephalon of the Cat (National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, 1954).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Guillery, R. W., J. Comp. Neurol., 138, 339 (1970); Polyak, S., The Vertebrate Visual System (University of Chicago Press, 1957); Stone, J., J. Comp. Neurol., 126, 535 (1966); Walls, G. L., The Vertebrate Eye and Its Adaptive Radiation (Cranbrook Press, Bloomfield Hills, 1942).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Guillery, R. W., Brain Res., 14, 739 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Deol, M. S., Proc. Roy. Soc., 175, 201 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

CREEL, D. Visual System Anomaly associated with Albinism in the Cat. Nature 231, 465–466 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/231465a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/231465a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing