System-theoretical analysis of the Clare Bishop Area in the cat

The Clare Bishop Area (CBA) is a retinotopically organized cortical area in the cat brain connected to a great variety of visual areas in a very complex wax (Fig. 1). Experimental analysis is difficult because of the following aspects: 1. As the distance from the retina increases, the signal combinations necessary to analyse the system become more and more specific. 2. Feedback loops cannot be opened, so an unequivocal identification of CBA cell properties is impossible. 3. The nonlinear character seems to have a great influence on signal processing. To circumvent these problems, specific signal combinations leading to a separation of input subsystems have been developed (Hoffmann and v. Se…