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Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

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.
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...
Visual System01:26

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...
Tactile and Chemical Senses01:27

Tactile and Chemical Senses

Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye
09:54

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Published on: January 12, 2015

Receptive field dynamics in adult primary visual cortex.

C D Gilbert1, T N Wiesel

  • 1Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021-6399.

Nature
|March 12, 1992
PubMed
Summary

The adult brain reorganizes its visual cortex rapidly after retinal lesions. Cortical plasticity, not just incoming signals, drives this recovery, highlighting intrinsic synaptic changes.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Visual System Research

Background:

  • The adult brain exhibits significant plasticity, adapting cortical topography in response to altered sensory input.
  • Previous studies show sensory deprivation can modify receptive field sizes and cortical maps over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the immediate and long-term cortical reorganization following visual input removal via retinal lesions.
  • To determine the mechanisms underlying cortical recovery and topographic reorganization in the visual cortex.

Main Methods:

  • Induced focal binocular retinal lesions in adult subjects.
  • Recorded from the same cortical sites before and immediately after lesioning.
  • Performed anatomical studies to assess geniculocortical afferent spread.

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Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration

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Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin
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Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Published on: December 30, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye
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Live-imaging of the Drosophila Pupal Eye

Published on: January 12, 2015

Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
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Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Published on: May 26, 2023

Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin
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Intravital Two-Photon Imaging of Touch Sensory Axon Morphology in Mouse Skin

Published on: December 30, 2025

Main Results:

  • Observed immediate, significant increases in receptive field size for cortical cells near the retinal scotoma.
  • Demonstrated recovery of visual activity in previously silenced cortical areas within months.
  • Found that the lateral geniculate nucleus retained a large silent region, and afferent spread was insufficient to explain cortical recovery.

Conclusions:

  • Topographic reorganization in the visual cortex after retinal lesions is primarily driven by intrinsic synaptic changes within the cortex.
  • Long-range horizontal connections within the cortex likely play a crucial role in this adaptive plasticity.
  • The findings challenge explanations solely based on afferent input reorganization.