Superior geniculocalcarine tract

Last revised by Craig Hacking on 3 Aug 2022

The superior geniculocalcarine tract or superior optic radiation is the dorsal/posterior/superior fibers of the optic radiation. These superior fibers pass dorsally and posteriorly from the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus through the retrolentiform internal capsule and parietal lobe to the superior margin of the calcarine sulcus (specifically the lingual gyrus of the occipital lobe). This region forms part of the primary visual cortex.

Related pathology

Damage to this pathway on the left can result in a homonymous lower right visual field quadrantanopia, a.k.a. "pie-in-the-floor defect".

History and etymology

In several peer-reviewed articles and textbooks, this structure is known by the eponym "Baum's loop" 3,4, which originated after a then medical student edited Wikipedia in 2009 naming the structure after themselves 5.

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