Which is the relay station between retina and primary visual cortex located in the thalamus?

• A. Superior colliculus.
• B. Medial geniculate nucleus.
• C. Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in the thalamus.
• D. Pretectal area.

Answer: (B)

Signals from the retina first stop at a thalamic relay that handles most visual input before reaching the cortex. This structure, the lateral geniculate nucleus, sits in the thalamus and passes those retinal signals on to the primary visual cortex via the optic radiations. It’s organized into layers that separate inputs from each eye and different processing streams (motion, form, color), while preserving the spatial map from the retina as it projects to V1. The other options serve different roles: the superior colliculus guides reflexive eye movements and orienting to stimuli, the pretectal area handles the pupil light reflex, and the medial geniculate nucleus is part of the auditory pathway. So the relay station between retina and primary visual cortex located in the thalamus is the lateral geniculate nucleus.