A spatial property of the retino-cortical mapping

Striate cortex topography derives from a stretching of retinal space along the optic axis. At the retina, relative distances are preserved in a mapping of retinal space onto a spherical surface in the environment. At the cortex, relative distances along visual meridia in the cortical map are preserved in a mapping of striate cortex onto an environmental conic surface whose base is in the plane of the eye. This eco-cortical relationship can be considered a reference frame through which spatial relationships at the cortex might provide information about the environment. The present analysis provides an explanation of changes in cortical magnification with visual eccentricity in the primate and a detailed three-dimensional model of striate topography for the macaque monkey. In man, a conic environmental surface is shown to be uniformly resolvable along meridia in the visual field. Finally, the implications of this analysis of the structural properties of the retino-striate pathway and visual resolution are considered in relation to depth and distance perception.