Corpus geniculatum laterale
Last edit by Alaric Steinmetz on
Synonyms: Lateraler Kniehöcker, Corpus geniculatum opticum, Lateral geniculate nucleus, LGN
The lateral geniculate body is a nuclear region in the Diencephalon and part of the visual pathway.
Anatomy
The lateral geniculate body is located on the ventrocaudal surface of the Thalamus and constitutes a relatively independent structure. The lateral geniculate body is organized into six cellular layers, which are separated by the incoming fiber bundles of the optic tract.
Afferent pathways
In each of the two lateral geniculate bodies, crossed and uncrossed optic nerve fibers terminate. The left lateral geniculate body receives input from the temporal half of the retina of the left eye and the nasal half of the retina of the right eye, while the right lateral geniculate body receives input from the temporal half of the retina of the right eye and the nasal half of the retina of the left eye. Fibers from the macula, the region of sharpest vision, terminate in a central wedge-shaped area that extends through all cellular layers.
Efferent pathways
The efferent fibers of the lateral geniculate body travel as the central visual radiation, the optic radiation, to the visual cortex, the striate area on the medial hemispheric surface of the Occipital lobe[^1].
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