Complex cells can be found both in the primary visual cortex (V1) and the secondary visual cortex (V2). The term visual cortex refers to the primary visual cortex (also known as striate cortex or The term visual cortex refers to the primary visual cortex (also known as striate cortex or
Like a simple cell, a complex cell will respond primarily to oriented edges and gratings, however its receptive field cannot be mapped into fixed excitatory and inhibitory zones. A simple cell in the primary visual cortex is a cell that responds primarily to oriented edges and gratings (bars of particular orientations Rather, it will respond to patterns of light in a certain orientation within a large receptive field, regardless of the exact location. The receptive field of a sensory Neuron is a region of space in which the presence of a stimulus will alter the firing of that neuron Some complex cells respond optimally only to movement in a certain direction.
The difference between the receptive fields and the characteristics of simple and complex cells is the hierarchical convergent nature of visual processing. Complex cells receive inputs from a number of simple cells. Their receptive field is therefore a summation and integration of the receptive fields of many input simple cells. These cells were discovered by Torsten Wiesel and David Hubel in the 1950s. Torsten Nils Wiesel (b June 3, 1924) was a Swedish co-recipient with David H David Hunter Hubel (born February 27, 1926) was co-recipient with Torsten Wiesel of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for their