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Lecture - Visual Pathway

The document summarizes the visual pathway and optic reflexes. It discusses the five cell types in the retina and how the optic nerve forms from the ganglion cell axons. It describes the lateral geniculate body and its topographic organization, as well as the superior colliculus's role in eye movement control. Finally, it outlines the direct and consensual light reflex pathways and near-point reaction reflexes of accommodation, convergence, and pupillary constriction that maintain visual fixation.

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1K views

Lecture - Visual Pathway

The document summarizes the visual pathway and optic reflexes. It discusses the five cell types in the retina and how the optic nerve forms from the ganglion cell axons. It describes the lateral geniculate body and its topographic organization, as well as the superior colliculus's role in eye movement control. Finally, it outlines the direct and consensual light reflex pathways and near-point reaction reflexes of accommodation, convergence, and pupillary constriction that maintain visual fixation.

Uploaded by

api-3769252
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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VISION

Objective
• To discuss the visual pathway, its parts &
connections and relationship with the optic
reflexes
• Develops from the optic cup, an
outgrowth of the diencephalon
• Retina : rods and cones
• Fovea centralis : specialized region in
macula for high visual acuity; highest cone
density
• Rods- rhodopsin Cones -iodopsin
– isomerization leading to hyperpolarization
RETINA
• Contains 5 cell types
1. amacrine cell *
2. bipolar cell
3. receptor cell (rods and cones)
4. ganglion cell
5. horizontal cell *

*inhibitory, uses GABA


Optic nerve
GANGLION CELLS OF THE
RETINA
• Axons converge to form the optic disc
• Becomes myelinated as the optic nerve
• Optic nerve optic chiasm

LGB,
superior optic tracts
colliculus,
pretectal area
LATERAL GENICULATE BODY
• Inputs are arranged in an ORDERLY
TOPOGRAPHIC PATTERN
• Receives the contralateral visual field
• central visual field represented more
extensively
• each layer in the LGB receives inputs
from one eye only (3 layers for
ipsilateral, 3 layers for contralateral)
SUPERIOR COLLICULUS
• Receives direct visual input from optic
tracts from the visual cortex
• Projects to the pons (tectopontine) and to
the spinal cord (tectospinal)
Tectopontine cerebellum
Tectospinal reflex control of
head & neck
• Participates in eye movement control by
connections with RF
PRE-TECTAL AREA
• Site for mediation of pupillary reflexes
• Receives input from optic tract
• Fibers project to the Edinger-Westphal
nucleus
PRIMARY VISUAL CORTEX
(Brodmann’s area 17)
• Primary visual receptive area
• Also called “striate area” (contains
Gennari’s line)
• Surrounds the calcarine fissure/sulcus
• Cuneus - above the fissure
• Lingual gyrus - below the fissure
TOPOGRAPHIC ARRANGEMENT
IN THE CORTEX
• SUPERIOR visual field projects to
INFERIOR part of cortex
• LEFT projects to the RIGHT
• CENTRAL projects to the POSTERIOR
• PERIPHERAL projects to the ANTERIOR
BRODMANN AREA 18 & 19
• also called VISUAL ASSOCIATION
AREAS
• regions for visual perception or visual
sensory processing
• also play a role in visually guided
saccades, ocular pursuit movements,
accomodation and convergence
OPTIC REFLEXES AND EYE
MOVEMENTS
LIGHT REFLEX
• DIRECT LIGHT REFLEX
Pupil constricts promptly when light is
flashed into the eye and dilates when
removed.
• Follows the usual visual pathway, BUT,
instead to the LGB, it goes to the superior
colliculus and end in the PRETECTAL
AREA
DIRECT LIGHT REFLEX
• From the pretectal area, connects to the
E-W nucleus

• E-W nucleus connects with the CILIARY


GANGLION ------> CONSTRICTS Iris
muscles
CONSENSUAL LIGHT REFLEX
• Constriction of the contralateral eye

• Accomplished by crossing connections in


the light reflex pathway at level of
pretectum
CROSSING
OVER
INTACT DIRECT &
CONSENSUAL
ABSENT DIRECT &
CONSENSUAL REFLEX
NO DIRECT/CONSENSUAL
REFLEX ON AFFECTED EYE
REFLEXES OF NEAR-POINT
REACTION
• When eyes are directed to an object close
to the face, 3 reflexes occur :
1. CONVERGENCE
2. ACCOMODATION
3. PUPILLARY CONSTRICTION
CONVERGENCE
• Medial rectus muscles contract to move
both eyes to the midline so the image
remains focused on the fovea
• IF non-functioning, DIPLOPIA results
ACCOMODATION
• Lenses are thickened by contraction of its
ciliary muscles; also maintains a focused
image on the fovea
• Ciliary muscles are innervated by
parasympathetic neurons in the ciliary
ganglion
PUPILLARY CONSTRICTION
• Pupils are narrowed as an AID to regulate
the DEPTH of focus
• Separate from the light reflex
CLINICAL CONDITIONS
• ADIE’S TONIC PUPIL
Unilateral dilated pupil (assoc. with
absent deep tendon reflexes)
Minimal constriction to light, and
pathologically slow re-dilatation
CLINICAL CONDITIONS
• ARGYLL ROBERTSON PUPIL
Prostitute eye (accommodates but
does not react)
Damage to the ciliary ganglion or iris is
implicated (probably syphilis)
VISUAL FIXATION
• Four visual subsystems act to VISUALIZE
AN OBJECT IN THE FOVEA AND KEEP
IT THERE AS THE OBJECT OR THE
VIEWER MOVES
1. Saccadic
2. Pursuit
3. Vergence
4. Vestibulo-ocular
SACCADIC EYE MOVEMENTS
• Saccades = fast conjugate eye
movements to track a MOVING OBJECT
• Voluntary saccades initiated by the
parieto-occipital cortex and visual cortex,
and by Brodmann’s area 8
• Involuntary saccades initiated by
brainstem (e.g. REM, fast phase of
nystagmus)
SACCADES
• HORIZONTAL GAZE
The contralateral pontine
paramedian reticular formation (PPRF)
is an integral part.
Visual inputs
(contra)
Cortices----->sup. colliculus--->PPRF---
CN III <------MLF <---------CN VI <-----
(ipsi MR) (contra LR)
SACCADES
• UPWARD GAZE

contra PPRF-----> riMLF ----->interstitial


nucleus
CNIII<------post. commisure<----of Cajal
(ipsi)

SR(contra) and IO (ipsi)


SACCADES
• DOWNWARD GAZE
Same with upward gaze, except the IR
(CN III) and SO (CN IV) are innervated
PURSUIT EYE MOVEMENTS
• Maintains fixation on slowly MOVING
OBJECTS
HORIZONTAL PURSUIT
Visual inputs----->parieto-occipital--
CN VI<------cerebellar vermis<----pons<
& III (ipsi)
VERTICAL PURSUIT - (unknown)
• If pursuit fails, saccades will substitute
VESTIBULO-OCULAR
MOVEMENTS
• Prevents image from moving away from
the fovea during HEAD MOVEMENTS
• Pathway from medulla to midbrain
• Receives inputs from the semicircular
canals to the vestibular nuclei
• Vestibular nuclei reaches CN VI & III
(horizontal) and CN IV & III (vertical)
VERGENCE EYE
MOVEMENTS
• Allows continual presence of the image of
interest on the fovea as the object moves
closer or farther away
• Signals come from bilateral parieto-
occipital cortex to the midbrain, then to CN
III and VI
THANK YOU.

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