Final answer:
The small ganglion cells with small RFs and sustained responses belong to the parvocellular pathway that processes color and fine details in our vision, different from the magnocellular pathway.
Step-by-step explanation:
The small ganglion cells that begin the visual pathway with small receptive fields (RFs) and sustained responses are part of the parvocellular pathway. These cells are crucial for processing color and fine detail in the visual signal. The parvocellular pathway represents a visual processing stream distinct from the magnocellular pathway, which handles information about form, movement, depth, and brightness differences. The optic nerves, composed of myelinated axons of ganglion cells, split the visual information; some project directly back into the brain, and others cross over to the opposite side, forming the optic chiasma at the base of the brain.
This crossover is vital for binocular vision and depth perception. The parvocellular ganglion cells contribute to the fine-tuned aspects of our visual perception, which occurs in the visual cortex in the occipital lobe after synapsing in the lateral geniculate nucleus in the thalamus.