Corticogeniculate feedback and visual processing in the primate

Corticogeniculate neurones make more synapses in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) than retinal ganglion cells, yet we know relatively little about the functions of corticogeniculate feedback for visual processing. In primates, feedforward projections from the retina to the LGN and from the LGN to primary visual cortex are organized into anatomically and physiologically distinct parallel pathways. Recent work demonstrates a close relationship between these parallel streams of feedforward projections and the corticogeniculate feedback pathway. Here, we review the evidence for stream-specific feedback in the primate and consider the implications of parallel streams of feedback for vision.