- The LGN is a part of the thalamus that transmits visual information
- Receives information from the optic tract
- Sends information to the occipital lobe
- Some axons terminate in the primary visual cortex of the occipital lobe-- these are called optic radiations

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Neurons in the retina and LGN have receptive fields that consist of a circular central area and a ring around it.

Concentric receptive fields of retinal and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons

- Visual information is first processed by cells in the retina 
    - photoreceptors, bipolar cells, ganglion cells, horizontal cells, and amacrine cells
- Axons of ganglion cells make up the optic nerve, which transmits this visual information to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the superior colliculus of the brain
- Neurons of the LGN synapse on the primary visual cortex, in the occipital lobe

Neural signals from the eye to the brain

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)

- The LGN is made of six main layers 
- All layers contain concentric receptive fields
- The four outer (dorsal) layers are made of small cells (parvocellular)
- The two inner (ventral) layers are made of large cells (magnocellular)

Layers of the LGN

- Light always hyper polarizes photoreceptors (rods and cones)
- Hyperpolarization causes the photoreceptors to release less glutamate
- Decreased glutamate release excites some retinal neurons and inhibits others

Excitatory and inhibitory feedback to retinal neurons

- The retina projects its information in a map-like manner
- The information stays this way as it passes through different regions of the brain
- Because of this, deficits in visual perception can be determined based on where damage is in the visual pathway or the brain
    - Scotomas are these regions of blindness

Retinotopic mapping

There are two types of photoreceptors in the eye: rods and cones. They are light-sensitive receptors. Rods are most active when there is dim lighting. Cones are most active when there is bright lighting, and can detect color.

Photoreceptors

- Optic nerve transmits signals to the superior colliculus
- Controls quick movements of the eye to look at a specific target 
- Helps control pupil size

Superior colliculus role in vision

The optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers formed by the convergence of axons from retinal ganglion cells. It exits through the back of the eye and serves as the primary pathway for transmitting visual information from the retina to the brain.

Optic Nerve

Visual information is processed within the brain through two main parallel pathways. The 'what pathway' is tasked with object recognition and identification. In contrast, the 'where/how pathway' is concerned with an object's location in space and how to interact with it.

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