Objective analysis of the topological organization of the primate cortical visual system

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 358; no. 6382; pp. 152 - 155
• Main Author: Young, Malcolm P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 09.07.1992; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral Cortex - anatomy & histology; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Eye Movements; Eyes & eyesight; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Macaca; Mathematics; Models, Biological; primates; Topology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual Cortex - anatomy & histology; Visual Cortex - physiology; Visual Pathways - anatomy & histology; Visual Pathways - physiology; Vertebrata; Visual cortex; Mammalia; Visual pathway; Corticocortical connection; Topography; Central nervous system; Primates; Models; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/358152a0

The primate cortical visual system is composed of many structurally and functionally distinct areas, each receiving and sending about 10 projections from and to other cortical areas. The visual cortex is thus served by many cortico-cortical connections to form a network of considerable complexity. Thus the gross organization of this cortical processing system presents a formidable topological problem: although the spatial position of the areas in the brain is reasonably well established, the gross 'processing architecture' defined by the connections, is less well understood. Here I report an optimization approach that gives both qualitative and quantitative insight into the connectional topology of the primate cortical visual system. This approach supports suggestions that the system is divided into a dorsal 'stream' and a ventral 'stream' with limited cross-talk, that these two streams reconverge in the region of the principal sulcus (area 46) and in the superior temporal polysensory areas, that the system is hierarchically organized, and that the majority of the connections are from 'nearest-neighbour' and 'next-door-but-one' areas.