Functions of ascending, descending and recurrent inputs to the lateral geniculate nucleus of thalamus

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To clarify the mechanisms underlying the receptive field(RF) properties of the lateral geniculte nucleus(LGN), we examined the RF properties of retinal ganglion cells(RGCs), neurons in the LGN and visual cortex, and functional interactions among them in the anesthetized and paralyzed cats. The classical receptive field(CRF) of RGC and LGN neurons are elliptical in shape with suppressive extra-classical RE surround(ECRF), which produce tuning properties to the stimulus orientation and spatial frequency. These results suggest that, in the early visual system, the feedforward mechanism makes the basic tuning properties, and the feedback mechanisms enhance the tuning properties via non-linear operation of ECRF