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Anatomy and Synaptology of the Optic Tectum

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Visual Centers in the Brain

Part of the book series: Handbook of Sensory Physiology ((1536,volume 7 / 3 / 3 B))

Abstract

After decussation in the chiasma the optic fibres become segregated to form the accessory optic tract and the main or marginal optic tract. The anterior part of the accessory optic tract is supposed to connect the retina with subthalamic and dorsal hypothalamic nuclei [45]. While a few recent observations seem to corroborate this early assumption [18, 47–49, 65, 71], the bulk of opposing data denies the existence of these connexions [1, 5, 9, 11, 12, 14, 27–29, 34–36, 46, 55, 57, 67, 76]. The posterior part of the accessory optic tract terminates in the mesencephalic basis and tegmentum (for details see Marg’s Chapter 15, this volume). The marginal optic tract carrying nearly all the optic fibres, terminates in different diencephalic optic nuclei and in the mesencephalic optic tectum. It is now known that the diencephalic portion of this tract only partially decussates also in sub mammalian vertebrates [5, 6, 47, 55]. The aim of the present survey is to give a detailed account of the mesencephalic optic tectum and its connexions.

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    George Székely

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Székely, G. (1973). Anatomy and Synaptology of the Optic Tectum. In: Jung, R. (eds) Visual Centers in the Brain. Handbook of Sensory Physiology, vol 7 / 3 / 3 B. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65495-4_1

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