In the marmoset Callithrix jacchus, ocular dominance
columns (ODC) have been reported to be present in young animals,
but absent in adults (Spatz, 1989). We have studied in juvenile
and adult animals the postnatal organization of the
retino-geniculo-cortical afferents by means of transneuronal
labeling. We show in the present work that ODC are present in
the primary visual cortex of Callithrix jacchus, both
in the adult and in the juvenile animal. The present work confirms
the presence of ODC in the visual cortex of juvenile marmoset
before the end of the first postnatal month. In 2-month-old
animals, ODC are well demarcated in IVcα and IVcβ. In
the adult marmosets, the present data clearly show that the
primary visual cortex is also organized with ODC. In horizontal
sections, they form a mosaic through the ventral and dorsal
calcarine cortex and through the dorso-lateral occipital part
of the striate cortex. In frontal sections, their presence is
manifest in IVcβ within the calcarine cortex and they only
faintly appear in IVcα. These new findings are important
since they underline the usefulness of the adult New World Monkeys
as a model in visual research.