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Related Concept Videos

Hearing

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.

The Retina

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

Auditory Pathway

Auditory Pathway

Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...

Visual System

Visual System

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

Auditory Perception

Auditory Perception

The auditory system is essential for sound perception, utilizing various critical structures. When sound waves enter the outer ear, they travel through the ear canal and cause the eardrum to vibrate. These vibrations are then transmitted to the middle ear, where three tiny bones – the malleus, incus, and stapes – amplify the sound. This amplification is crucial, as it ensures that the sound vibrations are strong enough to be conveyed to the inner ear. These vibrations then reach the cochlea, a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

Visual behaviour mediated by retinal projections directed to the auditory pathway.

L von Melchner¹, S L Pallas, M Sur

¹Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139, USA.

|April 29, 2000

Summary

In ferrets, rerouting visual input to the auditory cortex created a functional visual area. This demonstrates that extrinsic inputs significantly instruct a neocortical region's perceptual modality.

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Last Updated: May 12, 2026

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Nerve

Published on: October 8, 2014

Direct Visualization of the Murine Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus for Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Pathway

Direct Visualization of the Murine Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus for Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Pathway

Published on: January 20, 2015

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Published on: June 13, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience
Sensory Processing

Background:

Cortical development involves intrinsic and extrinsic factors shaping functional areas.
The role of extrinsic inputs in determining a cortical area's modality is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if redirected visual input can induce visual perception and behavior in the auditory cortex.
To determine the extent to which extrinsic inputs instruct perceptual modality.

Main Methods:

Neonatal ferrets underwent surgical redirection of retinal projections to the auditory thalamus.
Auditory cortex responses and behavioral responses to visual stimuli presented via the rewired pathway were analyzed.

Main Results:

Rewired ferrets exhibited visually responsive cells and retinotopic maps in the auditory cortex.
These ferrets demonstrated visual behavioral responses to light stimuli, perceiving them as visual, not auditory.
Discrimination of grating spatial frequencies was possible via the rewired pathway, albeit with reduced acuity.

Conclusions:

Extrinsic inputs play a crucial role in instructing the perceptual modality of neocortical areas.
Functional visual capabilities can be established in a non-visual cortical region through cross-modal projections.