On the role of self-excitation in the development of topographic order in the visual system of the frog

A two-level model is presented for explaining the development of the topographically ordered retinotectal connections of the visual system of the frog. The columnar structure of the tectum were taken into account explicitly. Simulations suggest that the self-excitatory intracolumnar connections play an important role in the formation of the topography. In the case of self-excitation the system is able to recognize the topology of the visual field by the continuity of the object’s movement.