Interhemispheric connections between primary visual areas: beyond the midline rule

Braz J Med Biol Res. 2002 Dec;35(12):1441-53. doi: 10.1590/s0100-879x2002001200005.

Abstract

In the last five years, a number of detailed anatomical, electrophysiological, optical imaging and simulation studies performed in a variety of non-human species have revealed that the functional organization of callosal connections between primary visual areas is more elaborate than previously thought. Callosal cell bodies and terminals are clustered in columns whose correspondence to features mapped in the visual cortex, such as orientation and ocularity, are starting to be understood. Callosal connections are not restricted to the vertical midline representation nor do they establish merely point-to-point retinotopic correspondences across the hemispheres, as traditionally believed. In addition, anatomical studies have revealed the existence of an ipsilateral component of callosal axons. The aim of this short review is to propose how these new data can be integrated into an updated scheme of the circuits responsible for assembling the primary visual field map.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Axons / physiology*
  • Corpus Callosum / anatomy & histology
  • Corpus Callosum / cytology
  • Corpus Callosum / physiology*
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Vision, Binocular / physiology
  • Visual Cortex / anatomy & histology
  • Visual Cortex / cytology
  • Visual Cortex / physiology*
  • Visual Fields / physiology*