The representation of the visual field on the sub-cortical centers of the cat and rabbit

Abstract

In the visual system the primary problem has been the identification of the visual pathway - the fiber systems along which the impulses arising in the eyes pass to the various subcortical levels and finally to the cortex - their precise localization, boundaries, and the extent of the terminal areas of the pathway. The second problem has been to determine whether, and to what extent, the original spatial and dimensional relationships present in visual space and in the retina are preserved in the pathways and centers, and if they are, how and where the various distinct areas of the retina, i.e. the fovea, the extra-foveal peripheral quadrants, the horizontal and vertical meridians, were represented in the various levels of the visual pathway.