Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Mriganka Sur and colleagues from the University of Sydney and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany studied normal mice, as well as mice in which the activity of the critical gene was suppressed.

They noted many animals, including mice and humans, are able to perceive depth because of the successful coordination of different images from each eye.

The scientists found mice with the suppressed gene were blind, although their eyes worked normally. The investigators discovered the image from one eye suppressed the image from the other eye. When the neural signals from one eye were blocked, the affected mice could once again see, though only with monocular vision.

"This is an amazing instance of 'gain of function' that proves immediately that the gene is directly responsible for creating matched projections from the two eyes," Sur said, noting the finding could lead to new treatments for visual disorders.

The study appeared in the Sept. 4 issue of the journal PLoS Biology and in the journal Cerebral Cortex.