martin chapter 7 Flashcards
optic nerves connect what?
the eyes to the visual processing centers in the brain
where is the retina positioned compared to the eyeball?
posterior inner surface of the eye ball
where are photoreceptors located within respect to the eye ball?
in the posterior inner surface of the eye ball as well
photoreceptors synapse on?
retinal interneurons
retinal interneurons synapse on?
ganglion cells
what are ganglion cells and what do they synapse on?
ganglion cells are retinal projection neurons and synapse in the thalamus and brain stem
where do the axons of ganglion cells travel?
into the optic nerves. axons of ganglion cells from each eye contribute to the formation of the optic nerve of the same side
where do some ganglion cells decussate?
into the optic chiasm. then they enroute to the thalamus and brain stem
where do the crossed and uncrossed ganglion cell axons course?
into the optic tract. each optic tract contains axons coming from both eyes
what is the principal thalamic target for ganglion cells?
the lateral geniculate nucleus
where does the lateral geniculate nucleus project?
to the primary visual cortex
what’s the name of the pathway by which the lateral geniculate nucleus project to the primary visual cortex?
optic radiations. it comprises multiple functional pathways whose axons intermingle and carry informations about multiple attributes of visual stimuli including their form, color, location and speed of motion.
where is the primary visual cortex (or v1) located?
in the occipital lobe, within the depths of the calcarine fissure
the primary visual cortex is also referred as?
the striate cortex. because myelinated axons form a prominent striation visible on the gross brain
where do the axons of the second path from the primary visual cortex decussate?
in the corpus callosum and terminate in the contralateral primary visual cortex. This helps to unify images from the two eyes into a perception of a single visual world.
efferent projections from the primary visual cortex follow?
one of three pathways
Certain retinal ganglion cells project directly to the midbrain, especially in 2 structures:
pretectal area and the superior colliculus
the retinal ganglion cells that skirt the lateral geniculate nucleus and travel to the midbrain directly course in a tract named?
brachium of superior colliculus
where can we find the superior colliculus?
in the tectum of the midbrain
which is the major role that the superior colliculus has in humans?
the superior colliculus has a major role in the control of saccades, rapid eye movements.
where are the pretectal nuclei? what’s their major role?
at the midbrain-diencephalic junction. rostral to the tectum.
they participate in pupillary reflexes which regulate the amount of light reaching the retina (they are also involved in other visual reflexes)
what is the binocular zone?
the part of the visual field that both eyes can see at the same time
visual field
the total area seen by the two eyes when they are fixed straight ahead.
the total visual field of one eye is not equal to one hemifield. why?
because the visual field includes a binocular zone and two monocular zones