A comparison of koniocellular, magnocellular and parvocellular receptive field properties in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus)

• Published in: The Journal of physiology Vol. 531; no. 1; pp. 203 - 218
• Main Authors: Xu, Xiangmin, Ichida, Jennifer M., Allison, John D., Boyd, Jamie D., Bonds, A. B., Casagrande, Vivien A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK The Physiological Society 15-02-2001; Blackwell Science Ltd; Blackwell Science Inc
• Subjects: Algorithms; Animals; Aotidae; Axons - physiology; Geniculate Bodies - cytology; Geniculate Bodies - physiology; Neurons - physiology; Original; Photic Stimulation
• ISSN: 0022-3751; 1469-7793
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7793.2001.0203j.x

By analogy to previous work on lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) cells our goal was
to construct a physiological profile of koniocellular (K) cells that might be linked to particular visual perceptual attributes.
Extracellular recordings were used to study LGN cells, or their axons, in silenced primary visual cortex (V1), in nine anaesthetized
owl monkeys injected with a neuromuscular blocker. Receptive field centre–surround organization was examined using flashing
spots. Spatial and temporal tuning and contrast responses were examined using drifting sine-wave gratings; counterphase sine-wave
gratings were used to examine linearity of spatial summation.
Receptive fields of 133 LGN cells and 10 LGN afferent axons were analysed at eccentricities ranging from 2.8 to 31.3 deg.
Thirty-four per cent of K cells and only 9 % of P and 6 % of M cells responded poorly to drifting gratings. K, P and M cells
showed increases in centre size with eccentricity, but K cells showed more scatter. All cells, except one M cell, showed linearity
in spatial summation.
At matched eccentricities, K cells exhibited lower spatial and intermediate temporal resolution compared with P and M cells.
K contrast thresholds and gains were more similar to those of M than P cells. M cells showed lower spatial and higher temporal
resolution and contrast gains than P cells.
K cells in different K LGN layers differed in spatial, temporal and contrast characteristics, with K3 cells having higher
spatial resolution and lower temporal resolution than K1/K2 cells.
Taken together with previous results these findings suggest that the K cells consist of several classes, some of which could
contribute to conventional aspects of spatial and temporal resolution.