page_title: Koniocellular cell
section_title: Layers
hierarchical_section_title: Koniocellular cell / Layers
caption_attribution_description: English: M P and K cells
context_page_description: A koniocellular cell is a neuron with a small cell body that is located in the koniocellular layer of the lateral geniculate nucleus in primates, including humans.
  Koniocellular layers are located ventral to each parvocellular and magnocellular layer of the LGN. Even if the quantity of neurons is approximately equal to the number of magnocellular cells the koniocellular layers are much thinner due to their size. In comparison to the parvocellular and magnocellular system, fewer studies have been conducted to investigate the koniocellular system. Koniocellular cells are a heterogeneous population differing in many aspects, such as response properties and connectivity.
context_section_description: Ventral to each of the magnocellular and parvocellular layers lie the koniocellular layers which differ in thickness. In macaques there are two magnocellular and four parvocellular layers and accordingly six konicellular layers. K1, the layer ventral to M1, is the largest. K2, K3 and K4 are thinner but nonetheless substantial bands of neurons. The two most dorsal layers K5 and K6 are mostly monolayers. Similar in physiology and connectivity to W cells in cat LGN, K cells form three pairs of layers in macaques.
  The middle pair (K3 and K4) relays input from short-wavelength cones to the cytochrome-oxidase blobs of primary visual cortex (V1).
  The dorsal-most pair (K5 and K6) relays low-acuity visual information to layer I of V1.
  The ventral-most pair (K1 and K2) appears closely tied to the function of the superior colliculus.
  K cells are not restricted to the koniocellular layers. They are also found in small groups, in pairs or as single cells within M and P layers. Larger subpopulations form bridges spanning the distance between two adjacent K layers.
caption: M P and K cells
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