A map of visual space induced in primary auditory cortex

Anna W. Roe, Sarah L. Pallas, Jong On Hahm, Mriganka Sur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

174 Scopus citations

Abstract

Maps of sensory surfaces are a fundamental feature of sensory cortical areas of the brain. The relative roles of afferents and targets in forming neocortical maps in higher mammals can be examined in ferrets in which retinal inputs are directed into the auditory pathway. In these animals, the primary auditory cortex contains a systematic representation of the retina (and of visual space) rather than a representation of the cochlea (and of sound frequency). A representation of a two-dimensional sensory epithelium, the retina, in cortex that normally represents a one-dimensional epithelium, the cochlea, suggests that the same cortical area can support different types of maps. Topography in the visual map arises both from thalamocortical projections that are characteristic of the auditory pathway and from patterns of retinal activity that provide the input to the map.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)818-820
Number of pages3
JournalScience
Volume250
Issue number4982
StatePublished - Nov 9 1990
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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