Spike timing and visual processing in the retinogeniculocortical pathway

Although the visual response properties of neurons along the retinogeniculocortical pathway have been studied for decades, relatively few studies have examined how individual neurons along the pathway communicate with each other. Recent studies in the cat (Felis domestica) now show that the strength of these connections is very dynamic and spike timing plays an important part in determining whether action potentials will be transferred from pre- to postsynaptic cells. This review explores recent progress in our understanding of what role spike timing has in establishing different patterns of geniculate activity and how these patterns ultimately drive the cortex.