The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is the primary relay center for visual information received from the retina of the eye. The LGN is found inside the thalamus of the brain.
The LGN receives information directly from the ascending retinal ganglion cells via the optic tract and from the reticular activating system. Neurons of the LGN send their axons through the optic radiation, a direct pathway to the primary visual cortex. In addition, the LGN receives many strong feedback connections from the primary visual cortex. In mammals, including humans, the two strongest pathways linking the eye to the brain are those projecting to the LGNd (dorsal part of the LGN in the thalamus), and to the superior colliculus (SC).
Read more about Lateral Geniculate Nucleus: Structure, M, P, K Cells, Ipsilateral and Contralateral Layers, LGN Inputs, LGN Output, Additional Images
Famous quotes containing the word nucleus:
“I could not undertake to form a nucleus of an institution for the development of infant minds, where none already existed. It would be too cruel.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)