= Monocular deprivation
<Monocular deprivation> is an experimental reduction of normal patterned <vision> through one <eye> while the other remains available. It is used to investigate how sensory experience shapes a developing <nervous system>. In classic <cat> experiments, researchers closed the <eyelids> of one <eye> for a stated interval, then reopened it and compared what the animal could do through each <eye>.<Consequences of monocular deprivation on visual behaviour in kittens by P. B. Dews and others>[Journal of Physiology 206, pp. 437–455; abstract, experimental design]{ref}
<P. B. Dews> and colleagues varied both the starting age and duration of deprivation, testing the <cats> when they were at least a year old. Closure during the first four to six weeks left a lasting reduction in <visual acuity>. Longer early closure could also impair visually guided paw placement and pattern discrimination. Deprivation beginning at four months or later produced no lasting deficit detectable by their behavioural tests. The comparison identifies a <critical period> of heightened susceptibility in this species and experimental setting; it does not mean that all forms of adult <neuroplasticity> disappear.<Consequences of monocular deprivation on visual behaviour in kittens by P. B. Dews and others>[Abstract, points 1–3; age and duration manipulations and behavioural endpoints]{ref}
An illuminating feature of the design is its separation of \b[when experience is lost] from \b[how long it is lost]. A weak response immediately after opening an <eye> would not alone demonstrate a lasting developmental change; delayed testing and comparison with the other <eye> make that inference stronger.
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