Question

Why is the retinotopic map in the cortex distorted?

a. Because information from many rods converge onto a single retinal ganglion cell.

b. Because retinal ganglion cells converge onto few LGN neurons

c. Because the fovea is the smallest region of the retina.

d. Because the fovea is over-represented in V1.

e. Because rods are not represented in the cortex

Answer 1

The answer is option (D) Because the fovea is over-represented in V1

In cortical visual areas V1, V2 and V3, algebraic transitions are associated with the retinotopic representation of the visual field in a flat cortical sheet. A limitation of the practical application of this structure-function model is that the cortex, the two-dimensional surface of the topography, is curved. Equating the plane curve surface inevitably introduces local geometric distortions that are not computed in the ideal model..