The
optic tract is a part of the
visual systemThe visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to see.It interprets the information from visible light to build a representation of the world surrounding the body...
in the
brainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as jellyfish and starfish have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all...
.
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The
optic tract is a part of the
visual systemThe visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to see.It interprets the information from visible light to build a representation of the world surrounding the body...
in the
brainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as jellyfish and starfish have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all...
.
It is a continuation of the
optic nerveThe optic nerve, also called cranial nerve II, transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.-Anatomy:The optic nerve is the second of twelve paired cranial nerves but is considered to be part of the central nervous system as it is derived from an outpouching of the diencephalon during...
and runs from the
optic chiasmThe optic chiasm or optic chiasma is the part of the brain where the optic nerves partially cross...
(where half of the information from each eye crosses sides, and half stays on the same side) to the
lateral geniculate nucleusThe lateral geniculate nucleus is the primary processing center for visual information received from the retina of the eye. The LGN is found inside the thalamus of the brain, and is thus part of the central nervous system....
.
Right vs. left
The relationships of the retinal fibers to the optic tracts are as follows:
| optic tract |
temporal retinal fibers |
nasal retinal fiber
>-
| right optic tract |
from the right eye |
|
>-
| left optic tract
from the left eye |
from the right eye |