It has been more than 40 years since the first studies of the secondary visual cortex (V2) were published. However, no concrete hypothesis on how the receptive field of V2 neurons support general shape processing has been proposed to date. Using a computational model that follows the principle of selforganization, two hypotheses are advanced in this paper: (1) A typical V2 orientation-selective receptive field contains a primary orientation and a secondary orientation component, forming a corner, a junction, or a cross; (2) V2 columns with the same primary orientation form contiguous domains, divided into subdomains that prefer different secondary orientations. The first hypothesis is consistent with existing experimental evidence, and both hypotheses can be tested with current techniques in animals. In this manner, computational modeling can be used to provide verifiable predictions that eventually allow us to understand the role of V2 in visual processing. 1

This document is a slightly revised and reformatted version of the thesis submitted

In this paper, we propose a model of cortical self-organization based on the dynamic field theory. Learning is made through the modification of feed-forward connections using a time invariant learning rule that allows for dynamic (or life-long) learning. This preliminary model suggests that cortical plasticity may be conveyed through feed-forward connections only while cortico-cortical connections role would be to ensure dynamic competition among cortical columns. inria-00587508, version 1- 12 Sep 2011