Organization of the optic chiasm in the hatched chick

In the hatched chick the fibers of the two optic nerves segregate into clearly defined bundles when they cross to the other side. These bundles run in horizontally oriented tiers. The tiers are demarcated by blood vessels and pial tissue. The organization of these tiers was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively using light and electron microscopy as well as tracer techniques. The fibers within the tiers cross to the contralateral optic tract without leaving their respective tier. The mean total number of tiers is 34 with a great individual variation. A preference in the superposition of one side over the other could not be observed. Comparing these data with our earlier study (Rager et al.: Anat. Embryol., 179:135-148, 1988) it can be concluded that neither the segregation of fibers into discrete bundles nor the variability in the number of alternating tiers seem to disturb the topography of fibers as it is achieved in the optic nerve. The pattern of vascularization correlates with the order of crossing axon bundles and contributes to the demarcation of the tiers. The chiasm is vascularized by the Aa. preopticae and the A. infundibularis.