Understanding the Dorsal Visual Pathway: The Where and How Pathway for Spatial Awareness and Object Directionality

Dorsal Visual Pathway

Spatial and motion”where”parvocellular

The dorsal visual pathway is also known as the “where” pathway or the “how” pathway, as it is specialized in processing information related to spatial awareness and directionality of objects in the environment. This pathway begins at the retina of the eye and includes the magnocellular (M) cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus, and the primary visual cortex (V1) in the occipital lobe.

At the retina, M cells receive input from the rods and cones, which are photoreceptor cells responsible for detecting light and transmitting visual information to the brain. M cells have large receptive fields and are sensitive to low-contrast stimuli and rapid changes in luminance.

In the LGN, M cells receive input from the optic nerve and process information related to visual motion, depth, and contrast. From the LGN, the dorsal pathway projects to the V1, where further processing of spatial information occurs. V1 contains different layers of neurons that are specialized in processing different aspects of visual information, such as orientation, spatial frequency, and color.

Beyond V1, the dorsal visual pathway includes several other cortical areas, such as the posterior parietal cortex, the middle temporal area (MT), and the medial superior temporal area (MST). These cortical areas are involved in processing complex visual stimuli, such as the direction and speed of moving objects, and are important for spatial navigation and visually guided movements.

Overall, the dorsal visual pathway plays a crucial role in our ability to perceive and interact with the world around us, and is essential for tasks such as driving, catching a ball, or reaching for an object.

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