Evidence for a Modified V3 with Dorsal and Ventral Halves in Macaque Monkeys

Through more than 30 years of research, the nature of the third visual area, V3, and even its existence have been in question. Here, we used injections of up to five distinguishable tracers into both dorsal and ventral portions of V1 of macaque monkeys (representing the lower and upper visual quadrant, respectively) to provide compelling evidence for a V3 that is smaller than V2. This V3 includes both dorsal and ventral halves mirroring dorsal and ventral V2 in retinotopic organization. Of the approximately ten areas with V1 connections, V3 appears to account for about 20%.