The K-pathway from the retina through the thalamus contains the cells that (a) decrease firing rate when a light is turned on. (b) increase firing rate when a light is turned on. (c) also receive inputs from S-cones. (e) have heart-shaped receptive fields. Koniocellular Pathway Explanation

Koniocellular Pathway Explanation

The koniocellular pathway is also known as the K-pathway. It connects the retina to the thalamus. Some researchers have suggested that visual attention and object recognition are functions of the pathway responsible for processing chromatic (color) information (Fernandez & Solomon, 2018). Because their firing rates drop, light-sensitive cells within the K-pathway can be called “off” cells. In the dark, these cells become active, aiding in the detection of visual contrasts and edges (Fernandez & Solomon, 2018). The K-pathway also has “on” cell, which are cells that respond to light. When exposed to light, these cells become active and contribute to the detection of brightness and color (Fernandez & Solomon, 2018). Photoreceptor cells in the retina called S-cones are sensitive to short-wavelength (blue) light and provide inputs to both “off” and “on” cells in the K-pathway (Fernandez & Solomon, 2018). Furthermore, the receptive fields of K-pathway cells, which are the regions of the visual field to which a certain cell is sensitive, are heart-shaped (Fernandez & Solomon, 2018). Cont…