The visual claustrum of the cat. II. The visual field map

Abstract

Physiological and anatomical methods were used to study the representation of the visual field in the cat's dorsocaudal claustrum. In one set of experiments, the visual receptive fields of claustral neurons were plotted in multiple electrode penetrations. In another set of experiments, the termination of the corticoclaustral pathway was examined autoradiographically after the injection of [3H]proline at retinotopically defined sites in the visual cortex. Results obtained by the two methods were in close agreement. The claustrum was found to contain a single, orderly map of the contralateral hemifield and a small part of the ipsilateral field. High elevations are represented caudally and ventrally, low elevations rostrally and dorsally. The surface of the claustrum represents the periphery of the visual field, while the vertical meridian lies more ventrally, where the visual claustrum abuts the non-visual part of the nucleus. Visual field lines (isoazimuths or isoelevations) are represented as planes in the claustrum. The map is unusual in that isoazimuth planes are strongly curved and nested within each other, with peripheral ones enclosing those closer to the vertical meridian. This arrangement permits an expanded representation of the periphery compared with what is seen in visual cortex. The inputs from areas 17, 18, 19, 21a, and PMLS (posteromedial lateral suprasylvian area) are convergent, each projection retinotopically to the entirety of the claustral map.