CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 1,602Visual perception and processing mechanismsMotor Control and AdaptationFace Recognition and Perception

The connections of the middle temporal visual area (MT) and their relationship to a cortical hierarchy in the macaque monkey

Open access
Maunsell, JH, van Essen, DC·1983·The Journal of Neuroscience
DOI 10.1523/jneurosci.03-12-02563.1983PMC PMC6564662
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

The cortical and subcortical connections of the middle temporal visual area (MT) of the macaque monkey were investigated using combined injections of [3H]proline and horseradish peroxidase within MT. Cortical connections were assigned to specific visual areas on the basis of their relationship to the pattern of interhemispheric connections, revealed by staining for degeneration following callosal transection. MT was shown to be reciprocally connected with many topographically organized cortical visual areas, including V1, V2, V3, and V4. These pathways link regions representing corresponding portions of the visual field in the different areas. In addition, MT has reciprocal connections with two previously unidentified cortical areas, which we have designated the medial superior temporal area (MST) and the ventral intraparietal area (VIP). The laminar distribution of terminals and cell bodies in cortical areas connected with MT follows a consistent pattern. In areas V1, V2, and V3, the projections to MT arise largely or exclusively from cells in supragranular layers, and the reciprocal connections from MT terminate mainly in supragranular and infragranular layers. In contrast, the projections to MST and VIP terminate mainly in layer IV, and the reciprocal pathways originate from cells in both superficial and deep layers. On the basis of this pattern, each connection can be designated as forward or feedback in nature, and a hierarchical arrangement of visual areas can be determined. In this hierarchy, MT is at a higher level than V1, V2, and V3, and at a lower level than MST and VIP. Subcortical projections were seen from MT to the claustrum, the putamen, the caudate nucleus, the inferior and lateral subdivisions of the pulvinar complex, the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, the reticular nucleus of the thalamus, the superior colliculus, and the pontine nuclei.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1523/jneurosci.03-12-02563.1983

Cites

52 of 52 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Predictive coding theory is inspired by a systematic pattern of connectivity within individual areas of neocortex and within feedforward and feedback projections between areas, specific to layer location and type of source and target neurons.

    “Predictive coding theory is inspired by a systematic pattern of connectivity, both within individual areas of neocortex and within the feedforward and feedback projections between areas, specific to layer location and type of source and target neurons (Maunsell and van Essen, 1983).”

    From Is predictive coding theory articulated enough to be testable? (2015) · cites this paper as Maunsell and van Essen, 1983

    The Results and Discussion describe systematic layer-specific differences in the cells of origin and termination of forward and feedback projections between macaque visual areas. A further passage describes intrinsic connections within MT, but does not establish the claimed source- and target-neuron specificity for connections within individual areas. The paper also does not discuss predictive coding theory; the proposed inspiration is the citing authors’ framing. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Olszewski, J. (1952) The Thalamus of the Macaca mulatta, S. Karger AG, Basel.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Authors
Maunsell, J., & van Essen, D.
Venue
The Journal of Neuroscience
Publisher
Society for Neuroscience
Published
1983-12-01
Volume
3
Issue
12
Pages
2563-2586
ISSN
  • 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
  • 1529-2401
DOI
10.1523/jneurosci.03-12-02563.1983
PMC
PMC6564662
OpenAlex
W2145439642
Cited by
1,602
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 49 · 2012: 39
FWCI
30.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY002091)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007737)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
Keywords
middle temporal area, MT, cortical hierarchy, visual cortex, interhemispheric connections, medial superior temporal area, ventral intraparietal area, visual area V1, visual area V2, area V4, subcortical projections, pulvinar, superior colliculus, macaque
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain Mapping, Horseradish Peroxidase, Macaca, Macaca fascicularis, Thalamus, Visual Cortex, Visual Fields, Visual Pathways

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review