The number and distribution of Meynert cells in area 17 of the macaque monkey

A study has been made of the number and distribution of the Meynert cells in area 17 of the visual cortex in the macaque monkey. There are between 30000 and 40000 Meynert cells in one hemisphere and these are randomly distributed with an average uniform area density of about 25 cells per square millimetre. The area density of Meynert cells is similar in the representation of the fovea and the perifoveal cortex. These findings are discussed in relation to the basic uniformity of the functional architecture of the visual cortex.