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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.

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice

Quantification of Visual Feature Selectivity of the Optokinetic Reflex in Mice

Published on: June 23, 2023

Encoding of stimulus movement parameters in the cat visual system.

E N Sokolov¹, R Satinskas, D Stabinyte

¹M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology

|April 26, 2007

Summary

This study reveals how cat visual cortex neurons encode movement and orientation using vector encoding. Specific neurons in areas V1 and V2 independently process directional and orientational information.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Visual Cortex Research

Background:

The visual cortex processes complex visual information, including motion and orientation.
Understanding neural encoding mechanisms is crucial for deciphering brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural encoding of simple and complex visual stimuli in the cat visual cortex.
To elucidate the role of principal components analysis in understanding neuronal responses.

Main Methods:

Analysis of neuronal spike counts in response to moving stimuli using principal components analysis.
Examination of neuronal responses in areas V1, V2, and associative cortex.

Main Results:

Vector encoding of neuronal responses was demonstrated.
Direction and orientation detectors in V1 and V2 showed independent encoding via sine and cosine functions.
Associative cortex neurons integrated directional and orientational information from four cardinal neurons.

Conclusions:

The cat visual cortex employs distinct mechanisms for encoding movement direction and stimulus orientation.
Hierarchical processing occurs, with associative cortex integrating information from earlier visual areas.