Which of the following options form an incorrect statement: “The Pulvinar pathway to MT…

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Question restatement: The prompt asks which of the given statements about the pulvinar pathway to MT forms an incorrect statement. 
Option A: 'has been found to be strengthened in the adult brain with a neonatal V1 lesion' This suggests that early V1 damage leads to compensatory strengthening of alternative pathways, which has been reported in some neuroplasticity studies showing that residual or alternative routes can become more robust after early lesions. The claim is plausible within the broader literature on developmental plasticity and cross-modal or cross-pathway strengthening, so it would not be inherently incorrect.
Option B: 'carries visual information from the pulvinar to MT, bypassing V1' This aligns with the well-discussed pulvinar–MT pathway, where the pulvinar can convey visual signals to MT without passing through V1, supporting rapid or residual processing of visual information when V1 is compromised. The statement matches established concepts of subcortical-to-visual-area routing and is considered correct within certain contexts.
Option C: 'is a pathway that carries visual information from the pulvinar to higher visual areas, bypassing V2' Here, the claim specifies bypassing V2 while routing to higher visual areas. While there is evidence for direct pulvinar connections to some higher visual areas, the common and well-acknowledged pulvinar routes to higher visual regions often involve V2 as an intermediate stage or rely on paths that do not explicitly bypass V2 across the board. The notion of a pulvinar-to-higher-visual-areas pathway that bypasses V2 is not widely supported as a general rule, making this statement questionable or incorrect within typical frameworks.
Option D: 'has been found to be pruned during normal development' Pruning of connections during development is a standard part of neural maturation, including various visual pathways that are refined or eliminated as the system matures. This description is consistent with neurodevelopmental principles and would be considered plausible.
Assessment: When weighing these statements, choices that align with established findings about direct pulvinar–MT communication (bypassing V1) and documented developmental plasticity are more defensible, whereas a claim that a pulvinar pathway consistently bypasses V2 to reach higher visual areas is less consistent with common anatomical routing patterns and would be considered the weaker, less supported assertion. Therefore, the statement that proposes bypassing V2 for pulvinar-to-higher-visual-area transmission is the least consistent with typical anatomical models and is the most likely to be erroneous.
Note: The analysis above examines the logic and evidence behind each option, highlighting how each claim fits or conflicts with known facts about pulvinar connectivity to MT, V1, and V2, as well as developmental pruning concepts. The evaluation intentionally contrasts the more supported pulvinar–MT bypass of V1 with the less substantiated bypass of V2, to clarify why one option stands out as unlikely within standard neuroscientific understanding.

PSYC30018_2025_SM1 Exam: Neuroscience and the Mind (PSYC30018_2025_SM1)- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

Which of the following options form an incorrect statement: “The Pulvinar pathway to MT…

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