Editing Magnocellular cell (section)

==Function==
The magnocellular pathway cannot provide finely detailed or colored information, but still provides useful static, depth, and motion information.<ref name=Stein2014/><ref name=Jeffries2014rev>{{cite journal|last1=Jeffries|first1=AM|last2=Killian|first2=NJ|last3=Pezaris|first3=JS|title=Mapping the primate lateral geniculate nucleus: a review of experiments and methods|journal=Journal of Physiology, Paris|date=February 2014|volume=108|issue=1|pages=3–10|doi=10.1016/j.jphysparis.2013.10.001|pmid=24270042|pmc=5446894}}</ref> The M pathway has high light/dark contrast detection,<ref name=Pokorny2011>{{cite journal | vauthors = Pokorny J | title = Review: steady and pulsed pedestals, the how and why of post-receptoral pathway separation | journal = Journal of Vision | volume = 11 | issue = 5 | pages = 7 | date = July 2011 | pmid = 21737512 | doi = 10.1167/11.5.7| doi-access = free }}</ref> and is more sensitive at low [[spatial frequencies]] than high spatial frequencies. Due to this contrast information, M cells are essential for detecting changes in [[luminance]], and performing [[visual search]] tasks and detecting edges.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Cheng A, Eysel UT, Vidyasagar TR | title = The role of the magnocellular pathway in serial deployment of visual attention | journal = The European Journal of Neuroscience | volume = 20 | issue = 8 | pages = 2188–92 | date = October 2004 | pmid = 15450098 | doi = 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03675.x  | s2cid = 31456201 }}</ref>

The M pathway is also important for providing information about the location of objects. M cells can detect the orientation and position of objects in space,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Skottun BC, Skoyles JR | title = On identifying magnocellular and parvocellular responses on the basis of contrast-response functions | journal = Schizophrenia Bulletin | volume = 37 | issue = 1 | pages = 23–6 | date = January 2011 | pmid = 20929967 | pmc = 3004196 | doi = 10.1093/schbul/sbq114 }}</ref> information that is sent through the dorsal stream.<ref name=Hebart2012>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hebart MN, Hesselmann G | title = What visual information is processed in the human dorsal stream? | language = en | journal = The Journal of Neuroscience | volume = 32 | issue = 24 | pages = 8107–9 | date = June 2012 | pmid = 22699890 | pmc = 6703654 | doi = 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1462-12.2012 | doi-access = free }}</ref> This information is also useful for detecting the difference in positions of objects on the retina of each eye, an important tool in binocular depth perception.<ref name="Poggio_1984">{{cite journal | vauthors = Poggio GF, Poggio T | title = The analysis of stereopsis | journal = Annual Review of Neuroscience | volume = 7 | pages = 379–412 | year = 1984 | pmid = 6370081 | doi = 10.1146/annurev.ne.07.030184.002115 | s2cid = 18838554 }}</ref>

Cells in the M pathway have the ability to detect high temporal frequencies and can thus detect quick changes in the position of an object.<ref name=Nassi2009/> This is the basis for detecting motion.<ref name=Pokorny2011/><ref name=Vidyasagar2004>{{cite journal | vauthors = Vidyasagar TR | title = Neural underpinnings of dyslexia as a disorder of visuo-spatial attention | journal = Clinical & Experimental Optometry | volume = 87 | issue = 1 | pages = 4–10 | date = January 2004 | pmid = 14720113 | doi=10.1111/j.1444-0938.2004.tb03138.x| s2cid = 45931933 }}</ref> The information sent to the [[intraparietal sulcus]] (IPS) of the posterior parietal cortex allows the M pathway to direct attention and guide [[Saccade|saccadic eye movements]] to follow important moving objects in the visual field.<ref name=Stein2014/><ref name=Jayakumar2013>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jayakumar J, Dreher B, Vidyasagar TR | title = Tracking blue cone signals in the primate brain | journal = Clinical & Experimental Optometry | volume = 96 | issue = 3 | pages = 259–66 | date = May 2013 | pmid = 23186138 | doi = 10.1111/j.1444-0938.2012.00819.x  | url = http://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/11343/39658/2/311070_Tracking%20blue_Jayakumar.pdf | hdl = 11343/39658 | s2cid = 32259651 | hdl-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Burr DC, Morrone MC, Ross J | title = Selective suppression of the magnocellular visual pathway during saccadic eye movements | journal = Nature | volume = 371 | issue = 6497 | pages = 511–3 | date = October 1994 | pmid = 7935763 | doi = 10.1038/371511a0  | bibcode = 1994Natur.371..511B | s2cid = 4332938 }}</ref> In addition to following objects with the eyes, the IPS sends information to parts of the [[frontal lobe]] that allows the hands and arms to adjust their movements to correctly grasp objects based on their size, position, and location.<ref name=Hebart2012/> This ability has led some neuroscientists to hypothesize that the purpose of the M pathway is not to detect spatial locations, but to guide actions related to the position and motion of objects.<ref name="Goodale_2004">{{cite journal | vauthors = Goodale MA, Westwood DA | title = An evolving view of duplex vision: separate but interacting cortical pathways for perception and action | journal = Current Opinion in Neurobiology | volume = 14 | issue = 2 | pages = 203–11 | year = 2004 | pmid = 15082326 | doi = 10.1016/j.conb.2004.03.002 | s2cid = 15917985 }}</ref>

Some information has also been found to support the hypothesis that the M pathway is necessary for [[Face perception|facial processing]].<ref name=Bortolon2015>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bortolon C, Capdevielle D, Raffard S | title = Face recognition in schizophrenia disorder: A comprehensive review of behavioral, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies | journal = Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews | volume = 53 | pages = 79–107 | date = June 2015 | pmid = 25800172 | doi = 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.03.006  | s2cid = 20887067 }}</ref>