The locus of optic nerve head representation in the chick retinotectal map lacks a retinal projection.

Retinotopic representation of the optic nerve head of the contralateral eye lies at the rostrodorsal face of the avian tectum. Since the homologous mammalian retino-collicular map shows an optic disc gap, the present anterograde HRP transport experiments were designed to detect an equivalent gap in the avian tectal retinorecipient strata. Sections tangential to the tectum at the locus of pecten representation displayed a thin, elongated, projection-less strip, crossing radially all retinorecipient laminae. Histochemical demonstration of NADH-diaphorase on similar sections showed low activity of this enzyme along an equivalent, elongated strip.