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Visual Pathway - Lecture Slides

1) The visual pathway begins in the eyes and retina, where light is converted to neural signals. 2) These signals cross partially at the optic chiasm, with the nasal retina crossing to the opposite side and the temporal retina staying on the same side. 3) The signals then travel to the lateral geniculate nucleus and on to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe where visual perception occurs.

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Simphiwe Cebisa
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53 views11 pages

Visual Pathway - Lecture Slides

1) The visual pathway begins in the eyes and retina, where light is converted to neural signals. 2) These signals cross partially at the optic chiasm, with the nasal retina crossing to the opposite side and the temporal retina staying on the same side. 3) The signals then travel to the lateral geniculate nucleus and on to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe where visual perception occurs.

Uploaded by

Simphiwe Cebisa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Visual Pathways

Dr P Pillay
Overview
The eyeball (globe) is protected by the eyelid, which, in combination with the lacrimal
apparatus, keeps the cornea moist by laying down a thin layer of tear film that coats the
exposed surface of the eyeball (conjunctiva and cornea).
Visual Pathway
The visual pathway is organized topographically throughout its course to the occipital lobe. Nasal
(medial side of the retina) ganglion cells send axons that cross the midline at the optic chiasm
whereas temporal (lateral side of the retina) ganglion cell axons remain ipsilateral (on the same
side). Ganglion cell axons in the optic tracts:

1. Largely terminate in the lateral geniculate body, which is organized in six layers
2.Optic radiations from the geniculate body pass to the calcarine cortex of the occipital lobe, where
conscious visual perception occurs
3.From this region of the primary visual cortex, axons pass to the association visual cortex for
processing of form, color, and movement
4.Connections to the temporal lobe provide high-resolution object recognition (faces, and
classification of objects)
5. Connections to the parietal cortex provide analysis of motion of positional relationships of objects
in the visual scene
Visual Pathway (Explained from the beginning)
Begins from visual fields (light)
Vision (carried by axons) generated by
photoreceptors in the retina (10 neuron ).
Visual info leaves eye via optic nerve (20 neuron).
Partial crossing of axons occurs at optic chiasma
(optic tract).
 *How? Retina is divide into two halves by fovea
to give temporal and nasal halves.
Optic tract wraps around midbrain to reach lateral
geniculate body (LGN) [synapses]
After synapse fibers fan out as optic radiations in
white matter of brain to reach visual cortex.
The visual fields
 Image to retina can be cut in middle with fovea being in the
middle.
*fovea in macula lutea of retina (dense with cones)
 Two halves are: left and right halves referred to as temporal and
nasal halves.
 Visual images are inverted thru lens therefore in right eye for
example:
-temporal retina sees left visual field while nasal retina sees right
visual field.
-view of the right visual field is the right hemifield.
*what you see gets divided into right and left hemifields and each
eye gets info from both hemifields.
This info lands on one nasal and temporal retina.
Nasal retina cross while temporal do not!!!!!
Represent what we see
Or right hemifield
Or left hemifield
Interaction at the retina
Green: handled from right field

Red: handled from left field

Images are
processed by
opposite sides of
the eye (left half
of brain controls
right side of
body).

Meyer’s loop
IMAGES
LESIONS

Hemianopia: blindness in one half of the visual field of one or both eyes
LESIONS
• Lesion 1: Same as losing one eye as it is
completely blacked out.
• Lesion 2: Loss of one temporal field, one half lost.
• Lesion 3: nasal retins lost, peripheral vision lost
on both sides. Can be due to pituatory tumor.
• Lesion 4: loss of right hemifield hence both eyes
blind to right side of the world.
• Lesion 5: Macular sparing occurs, fovea is
preserved.

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