The Journal of Neuroscience, September 9, 2009, 29(36):11283-11293; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5757-08.2009
Previous Article | Next Article 
Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
The Synaptic Connections between Cortical Areas V1 and V2 in Macaque Monkey
John C. Anderson and
Kevan A. C. Martin
Institute for Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
Correspondence should be addressed to either John C. Anderson or Kevan A. C. Martin, Institute for Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland, Email: jca{at}ini.phys.ethz.ch or Email: kevan{at}ini.phys.ethz.ch
The primary visual cortex (V1) and V2 together form 
24% of the total neocortex of the macaque monkey and have each other as their major partners. The major target of the V1 projection to V2 is layer 4, where it forms clusters of boutons, which form asymmetric (excitatory) synapses mainly with dendritic spines (75%). The remainder form synapses with dendritic shafts. The synapses found on spines were often more complex, perforated postsynaptic densities than those found on dendritic shafts. The reciprocal projection from V2 to V1 targeted layers 1, 2/3, and 5 and was formed of axons of different morphologies. One axon type, originating from superficial layer pyramidal cells, had a morphology resembling those of local pyramidal cell collaterals. These axons arborized in layers 1, 2/3, and 5 of V1. Another type of axon, arborizing in layer 1, was slender (0.3 µm), unbranched, unmyelinated, and uniformly covered with boutons terminaux and formed asymmetric synapses mainly with slender spines. Yet a third type of axon also confined to layer 1, was thick (>1 µm), branched, heavily myelinated, and formed separate small clusters of large (1 µm) en passant multisynaptic boutons that formed asymmetric synapses mainly with large flat spines. These data show the existence of a reciprocal excitatory loop between V1 and V2 that is formed by different axonal types, each with preferred layers of termination.
Received Dec. 3, 2008;
revised Aug. 4, 2009;
accepted Aug. 7, 2009.
Correspondence should be addressed to either John C. Anderson or Kevan A. C. Martin, Institute for Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland, Email: jca{at}ini.phys.ethz.ch or Email: kevan{at}ini.phys.ethz.ch
