Projections of the Retina

The projections of the retina are numerous, and all of the type of cells projecting to each central location have yet to be discovered. All vertebrates have the following central projections of the retina: 1) hypothalamus, 2) accesory optic system, 3) pretectum, 4) tectum, 5) ventral thalamus, dorsal thalamus. Since the pathways through both the tectum and dorsal thalamus eventually reach the visual cortex, they are considered to be in parallel. However, cells within either of these parallel pathways are connected to each other in a serial fashion.