Skip to main content

Magno-, Parvo-, Koniocellular Pathways

Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology
  • 1195 Accesses

Synonyms

Geniculate pathways; M, P and K pathways; Parallel visual pathways; Retinogeniculate pathways; Retinogeniculocortical pathways

Definition

Magno-, parvo-, and koniocellular pathways are the three visual pathways in primates. These pathways are established at the level of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus. They are formed of morphologically distinct cellular layers that receive information from different types of retinal ganglion cells and project to different layers in the primary visual cortex.

Anatomical Considerations

The LGN layers of each of the three visual pathways have a specific cytoarchitectonic structure. The names of the pathways are derived from these structural characteristics. Magnocellular (M) cells have relatively large bodies (lat. Magnus: large) and are found in the lowest two layers (layers 1 and 2) of the LGN. Parvocellular (P) cells have smaller bodies (lat. Parvus: small) and are found in the top four layers of the LGN (layers 3, 4, 5,...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Casagrande, V.A., Xu, X.: Parallel visual pathways: a comparative perspective. In: Werner, J.S., Chalupa, L.S. (eds.) The New Visual Neurosciences, pp. 494–506. MIT Press, Cambridge (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hendry, S.H.C., Reid, R.C.: The koniocellular pathway in primate vision. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 23, 127–153 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Derrington, A.M., Krauskopf, J., Lennie, P.: Chromatic mechanisms in lateral geniculate nucleus of macaque. J. Physiol. 357, 241–265 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bishop, G.H.: Fiber groups in the optic nerves. Am. J. Physiol. 106, 460–470 (1933)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ungerleider, L.G., Mishkin, M.: Two cortical visual systems. In: Goodale, M.A., Mansfield, R.J.W. (eds.) Analysis of Visual Behavior, pp. 549–586. MIT Press, Cambridge (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Livingstone, M.S., Hubel, D.H.: Segregation of form, color, movement and depth: anatomy, physiology and perception. Science 240, 740–749 (1988)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Conway, B.R., et al.: Advances in color science: from retina to behavior. J. Neurosci. 30(45), 14955–14963 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kaplan, E.: The M, P and K pathways of the primate visual system revisited. In: Werner, J.S., Chalupa, L.S. (eds.) The New Visual Neurosciences. MIT Press, Cambridge (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Stockman, A., Brainard, D.H.: Color vision mechanisms. In: Bass, M. (ed.) OSA Handbook of Optics, 3rd edn, pp. 11.1–11.104. McGraw-Hill, New York (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lee, B.B.: Visual pathways and psychophysical channels in the primate. J. Physiol. Lond. 589(1), 41–47 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Solomon, S.G., Lennie, P.: The machinery of colour vision. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 8(4), 276–286 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jasna Martinovic .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this entry

Cite this entry

Martinovic, J. (2015). Magno-, Parvo-, Koniocellular Pathways. In: Luo, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_278-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_278-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27851-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Magno-, Parvo-, and Koniocellular Pathways
    Published:
    14 September 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_278-2

  2. Original

    Magno-, Parvo-, Koniocellular Pathways
    Published:
    21 September 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_278-1