A computational study of how orientation bias in the lateral geniculate nucleus can give rise to orientation selectivity in primary visual cortex

Abstract

Controversy remains about how orientation selectivity emerges in simple cells of the mammalian primary visual cortex. In this paper, we present a computational model of how the orientation-biased responses of cells in lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) can contribute to the orientation selectivity in simple cells in cats. We propose that simple cells are excited by lateral geniculate fields with an orientation-bias and disynaptically inhibited by unoriented lateral geniculate fields (or biased fields pooled across orientations), both at approximately the same re tinotopic co-ordinates. This interaction, combined with recurrent cortical excitation and inhibition, helps to create the sharp orien..