Retinal projection to mammalian telencephalon.

Retinal projections were studied in species from 8 orders of mammals using anterograde tracing techniques. The olfactory tubercle of basal telencephalon receives a projection from the retina in all animals. In all species the course of labelled fibers is similar and the terminal distribution of label along the internal border of the granular cell layer is restricted to the mediocaudal region of the tubercle. These shared characteristics suggest that this pathway is a typical mammalian feature, possibly providing for convergence of visual and chemosensory information in telencephalon.