Calcarine Cortex

Synonyms

Primary visual cortex; Striate cortex

Structure

This is the term for the primary visual cortex, V1, or Brodmann’s area 17. The area encompasses the medial surface and a small lateral surface of the occipital lobe, and is within the calcarine sulcus. It is located at the most posterior portion of the cerebral hemisphere. The optic radiations terminate in layer IV of the calcarine cortex. Layer IV is rather thick and is subdivided into sublaminae. The calcarine cortex is also sometimes referred to as the striate cortex because of a strip of myelin (Stria of Gennari) that can be visualized. The area is organized in a retinotopic fashion; that is, there is point-to-point representation from the retina to the cortex. For instance, fibers in the right half of each retina (perceives information in the left visual field) project to the right calcarine cortex, and fibers in the left half of each retina (perceives information in the right visual field) project to the left calcarine...