NEURONAL CHEMISTRY AND FUNCTIONAL-ORGANIZATION IN THE PRIMATE VISUAL-SYSTEM

Beginning with the first step of visual processing and proceeding outw ard from that point, the neurons involved in different aspects of visi on are distinct. Stated simply, neurons doing different things look di fferent.They often display distinct morphological features and they us ually express different molecules. In addition, neurons that perform a common function usually aggregate together to form recognizable layer s or compartments that can be studied in isolation because they are ne urochemically distinct. Here is found, then, a junction of two major d omains in neuroscience research, as discovery of molecular diversity a mong neurons is exploited to study organization and function of the pr imate visual system.