Cortical connections of the occipital lobe in the rhesus monkey: interconnections between areas 17, 18, 19 and the superior temporal sulcus

Abstract

Using both anterograde and retrograde tracing techniques, the present report investigates the cortical connections of the lateral, median and ventral portions of areas 17 and 18 in the rhesus monkey. All parts of area 17 are found to send topographically organized connections to a strip of prestriate cortex which closely corresponds to area OB of Bonin and Bailey or area 18 of Vogt and Vogt. Striate-recipient area 18, in turn, is topographically connected with an anterior prestriate zone, whose borders coincide with those of area OA or 19. These efferents are topographically organized, with connections from the medial surface of area 18 directed to lateral parts of area 19. In addition, certain parts of area 18, in the annectent gyrus and the inferior occipital sulcus, send 'crossed', dorsoventral connections to ventral and dorsal parts of area 19, respectively. Both areas 17 and 18 project in a topographic fashion to a distinct region in the caudal part of the superior temporal sulcus. Topographically organized reciprocal connections are also found from area 18 to 17, from area 19 to 18, and from the superior temporal sulcus to both areas 17 and 18.