Downstream Transfer of Visual Information

The wealth of computations performed by the retina, along with their dynamic nature and topographic organization, raises some crucial questions about how the parallel retinal channels are conveyed to the brain. To address this, we use in vivo Neuropixels recordings in primary visual structures to track how retinal signals are transmitted and transformed downstream.

Two hypotheses for retinal information transfer. Classic view: the parallel retinal channels remain segregated (top), suggesting retinal targets inherit retinal ganglion cells response properties. Recent studies suggest the retinal channels are integrated and converged (bottom), suggesting new visual representations arise in retinal targets.