title: Understanding visual map formation through vortex dynamics of spin Hamiltonian models.
abstract: The pattern formation in orientation and ocular dominance columns is one of the most investigated problems in the brain. From a known cortical structure, we build spinlike Hamiltonian models with long-range interactions of the Mexican hat type. These Hamiltonian models allow a coherent interpretation of the diverse phenomena in the visual map formation with the help of relaxation dynamics of spin systems. In particular, we explain various phenomena of self-organization in orientation and ocular dominance map formation including the pinwheel annihilation and its dependency on the columnar wave vector and boundary conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, Korea. mwcho@postech.edu
authors.forename: Myoung Won
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Seunghwan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D019579:Neocortex / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology