Retinotopisten

Retinotopisten is a term used to describe researchers who specialize in retinotopy, the orderly mapping of visual input from the retina to neural tissue, especially in the primary visual cortex (V1) and adjacent areas. Retinotopy reflects how spatial information from the visual field is represented in the brain, with neighboring points in the field activating neighboring neurons along cortical maps.

In mammals, retinotopic maps are organized by properties such as polar angle and eccentricity. The retina, the lateral geniculate nucleus, and the primary and secondary visual cortices preserve a topographic layout, though cortical magnification often causes central vision to occupy a larger cortical area than peripheral vision. Across different visual areas, retinotopic representations can vary in extent and geometry, providing a framework for understanding how visual information is processed along the cortical hierarchy.

Methods used by retinotopists include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) retinotopy, which employs rotating wedges to map polar angle and expanding rings to map eccentricity. Population receptive field (pRF) modeling, electrophysiology, optical imaging, and, in animals, intracellular or extracellular recordings are also used to characterize receptive fields and map structure. Research often investigates the development and plasticity of retinotopic maps, inter-individual differences, and the organization of maps beyond V1, such as V2, V3, and MT.

Applications of retinotopy research include pre-surgical mapping to preserve visual function, understanding visual disorders, and informing computational models of vision and cortical organization. The field integrates neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and computational modeling to elucidate how the brain represents and transforms visual space.

History and usage: retinotopy has long been foundational in neuroscience, with modern imaging techniques enabling precise, dynamic maps in humans. The term retinotopist is used informally to denote researchers focusing on these mappings.