Predicting functional properties of visual cortex from an evolutionary scaling law.

Charles F Stevens

doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00902-9

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Predicting functional properties of visual cortex from an evolutionary scaling law.

Charles F Stevens

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Abstract

The number of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) is, across primate species, related to the number of neurons in the visual thalamus (the lateral geniculate nucleus [LGN]) by a power law with an exponent of 3/2. This evolutionary scaling law is explained by a simple relation according to which the fineness of resolution in cortex is related to the number of neurons in the area of cortex used to process the information from a single point of light (the point-spread area). The same theory provides a link between two functional properties of the visual cortex, the areal cortical magnification factor (ACMF) and the receptive field (RF) area.

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Animals Biological Evolution Brain Mapping Callithrix Cebus Galago Geniculate Bodies Neurons Predictive Value of Tests Primates Visual Cortex Visual Fields Visual Pathways Visual Perception Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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Charles F Stevens. 2002-09-26. Predicting functional properties of visual cortex from an evolutionary scaling law.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0896-6273(02)00902-9

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