On the function of cell systems in area 18. Part II.

In addition to the asymmetry of the spatial coupling and of the specific temporal combination of excitation and inhibition, the non-linearity is very pronounced in area 18. Taking the sequence of a linear operation and a stationary nonlinear characteristic as a model, the experimental findings can be systematized and cell classification specified which departs from the customary ones. The hypercomplex cell system probably originates in recurrent inhibition and leads to differentiation of the patterns along their contour line. Problems of cell classification and of the type of parallelism in the visual cortex are discussed.