Synonyms
LGN
Structure
Anatomy and location: The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is a bilateral nucleus located on the caudal, inferior surface of the thalamus, lying lateral to the medial geniculate nucleus, inferior to the pulvinar and superior to the pretectal area. The LGN comprises six layers that relay information to cells in the visual cortex. The magnocellular layers (layers 1–2) send information to the area of the cortex that processes large features and motion. The parvocellular layers (layers 3–6) send information to the area of the visual cortex that processes finer details and color.
Input pathways: Visual input from retinal ganglion cells in both eyes sends information to the optic nerve, whose fibers cross at the optic chiasm and then continue in the optic tract. Fibers cross so that information from the right visual field from both eyes is sent to the left optic tract and information from the left visual field of both eyes is sent to the right optic tract. Optic tract...
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References and Readings
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Preston, A., Evans, A.S. (2018). Lateral Geniculate Nucleus of the Thalamus. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1378
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1378
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