PSYC 2390 Chapter 4: Chapter 4 (Part 1)

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2390
• Professor: Lana Trick

Document Summary

Most of the signals from the retina travel out of the eye in the optic nerve to the lateral geniculate nucleus (lgn) in the thalamus. From the lgn, signals travel to the primary visual receiving area in the occipital lobe of the cortex. The visual receiving area is also called the striate cortex because of the white stripes (striate = striped) that are created within this area of cortex by nerve fibers that run through it. From the striate cortex signals are transmitted to temporal lobe and to the parietal lobe. Visual signals also reach areas in the frontal lobe of the brain. Superior colliculus: an area involved in controlling the eye movements and other visual behaviours that receives about 10 percent of the fibers from the optic nerve. Lgn neurons have the same centre-surround configuration as retinal ganglion cells. Neurons in the lgn respond best to small spots of light on the retina.