Topology of visual cortical connections shapes spatial structure of perception

Visual experience is highly spatial. Much of what we perceive, we perceive in space. However, the spatial structure of visual experience is often taken for granted and its neural mechanism is rarely studied. Here we tested a novel theoretical framework that proposes lateral connections in primary visual cortex as the neural basis underlying the spatial structure of visual experience. We found that the inhomogeneity in spatial localization ability across visual field correlated with the variability in lateral connection length across primary visual cortex, suggesting a mapping between the topography of visual cortical connectivity and the spatial structure of visual perception.