This repository currently houses some references and a diagram related to the structure of the macaque monkey visual system, mainly from retina to V2. It may evolve into a quantitative model. If you have some expertise in this area and and interest in collaborating, please contact me (bptripp@uwaterloo.ca).
The output of the primate retina includes many distinct channels of information, the largest of which are the parvocellular, magnocellular, and koniocellular systems. These remain segregated in the lateral geniculate nucleus. A classical view is that these channels maintain substantial segregation deeper in the visual cortex. In particular, the dorsal visual stream makes heavier use of magnocellular input, while the ventral stream makes relies more on parvocellular input. Livingston & Hubel (1988) reviewed anatomical evidence for fairly separate parvocellular and magnocellular paths through V1, targeting different segments of V2 (with strong magnocellular input to thick cytochrome oxidase stripes, and strong parvocellular input to thin and pale stripes). They also review a wide range of psychophysics evidence consistent with this separation.
Since then, many studies have provided additional details on early vision pathways (reviewed by Nassi & Callaway, 2009). Many of these studies highlight further subdivisions of populations, and greater mixing of parvo and magno sources in V1.
The figure below is a preliminary attempt to create an early-vision connection diagram that summarizes some of the more recent literature, particularly focusing on feed-forward connections. The blue labels beside many of the connections are references to experimental studies that give evidence for the corresponding connections. The references are in the .bib file.
[1] M. Livingstone and D. Hubel, “Segregation of form, color, movement, and depth: anatomy, physiology, and perception,” Science (80-. )., vol. 240, no. 4853, pp. 740–749, 1988.
[2] J. J. Nassi and E. M. Callaway, “Parallel processing strategies of the primate visual system,” Nat. Rev. Neurosci., vol. 10, no. May, pp. 361–372, 2009.