[The asymmetry of the intrinsic connections of the cat striate cortex in the projection zone of the central visual field].

Abstract

Spatial distribution of intrinsic connections in the visual field centre projection zone of the cat striate cortex, was investigated. Retrogradely labelled cells formed an oblong area and were found in superficial as well as deep cortical layers. The labelled cells were located mostly medially to the column under study. The revealed asymmetry shows that the orientation column cells have more extended connections with cells representing the visual field periphery. We suppose that the "silent" regions are asymmetrically located in respect to the orientation column cells' receptive fields. This can account for the influence of the visual field periphery.