Cat and monkey cortical columnar patterns modeled by bandpass-filtered 2D white noise.

A simple algorithm based on bandpass-filtering of white noise images provides good quality computer reconstruction of the cat and monkey ocular dominance and orientation column patterns. A small number of parameters control the frequency, orientation, "branchedness", and "regularity" of the column patterns. An oriented (anisotropic) bandpass filter followed by a threshold operation models the macaque ocular dominance column pattern and cat orientation column system. An unoriented (isotropic) bandpass filter models the cat ocular dominance column pattern and the macaque orientation column system. The resemblance of computer graphic simulations produced by this algorithm and histological pattern data, is strong. Since this algorithm is very fast, we have been able to extensively explore its parameters space in order to determine filter parameters which closely match the structure of the various cortical systems. In particular, we have applied spectral analysis to our recent computer reconstruction of the macaque ocular dominance column system, and the model produced by the present algorithm is in close agreement with this detailed data analysis.