Columnar Organization of Visual Cortex

Another way in which visual scenes are analyzed in the visual cortical columns (blobs and nearby interblobs) is called orientation selectivity. While receptive fields in both retinal ganglion cells and LGN relay cells tend to be center-surround, receptive fields in the visual cortex tend to respond best to bars of light that are oriented at various angles. There is a regular, steady change in the preferred orientation as we move from one column to the next.

Taken together, the orientation columns, left and right eye columns, and blobs are all arranged in a regular pattern in primary visual cortex (area 17, striate cortex).