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Retinotopic Development, Models of

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Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience

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Synonyms

Neural map formation, Retinocollicular development, Retinogeniculate development, Topographic map formation

Definition

Axons of neighboring retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) coming from the eye normally terminate in neighboring parts of target brain regions, such as the optic tectum of amphibians or the superior colliculus (SC) and lateral geniculate nucleus of mammals. This orderly arrangement of connections is termed a retinotopic map. Theoretical models of retinotopic map formation help us understand how these connections develop in early life and how maps might reform after surgical or experimental manipulations.

Detailed Description

What Is a Retinotopic Map?

A projection of connections is termed a topographic map when neighboring neurons in the source region project to neighboring regions in the target. Topographic maps are found in many sensory systems. Perhaps the most-studied topographic map is the projection from the retina to primary targets in the brain, which ensures...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge Computational Biology Institute, University of Cambridge, CB3 0WA, Cambridge, UK

    Stephen J. Eglen

Authors
  1. Stephen J. Eglen
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Correspondence to Stephen J. Eglen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Ranu Jung

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Eglen, S.J. (2015). Retinotopic Development, Models of. In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6675-8_406

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