Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Auditory Pathway01:15

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...
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
Olfaction01:25

Olfaction

The sense of smell is achieved through the activities of the olfactory system. It starts when an airborne odorant enters the nasal cavity and reaches olfactory epithelium (OE). The OE is protected by a thin layer of mucus, which also serves the purpose of dissolving more complex compounds into simpler chemical odorants. The size of the OE and the density of sensory neurons varies among species; in humans, the OE is only about 9-10 cm2.
The olfactory receptors are embedded in the cilia of the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Visual Simulation Is Supported by Sequential Monitoring in the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026
Same author

New insights and a computational model for understanding induced motion revealed through novel variants of the Flying Bluebottle Illusion.

i-Perception·2025
Same author

Monkeys engage in visual simulation to solve complex problems.

Current biology : CB·2024
Same author

The Architecture of Object-Based Attention.

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2023
Same author

The combination of target motion and dynamic changes in context greatly enhance visual size illusions.

Frontiers in human neuroscience·2022
Same author

Neurons in inferior temporal cortex are sensitive to motion trajectory during degraded object recognition.

Cerebral cortex communications·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging
11:24

Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging

Published on: December 12, 2012

Context familiarity enhances target processing by inferior temporal cortex neurons.

Ryan E B Mruczek1, David L Sheinberg

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|August 10, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Familiar surroundings enhance visual object recognition by boosting target neuron sensitivity and reducing distractor interference in the ventral visual stream. This neurophysiological finding explains efficient visual search in everyday environments.

More Related Videos

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
10:33

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging
11:24

Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging

Published on: December 12, 2012

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
09:48

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis
10:33

Correlating Behavioral Responses to fMRI Signals from Human Prefrontal Cortex: Examining Cognitive Processes Using Task Analysis

Published on: June 20, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Experience shapes neural processing in the ventral visual stream for efficient object recognition.
  • The link between neural changes and efficient visual processing during natural vision is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neurophysiological basis of efficient visual search in familiar environments.
  • To determine how neural responses in the ventral visual stream correlate with behavioral efficiency in object recognition.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative behavioral experiments with humans and monkeys.
  • Electrophysiological recordings from neurons in the inferior temporal cortex.
  • Analysis of neural sensitivity and noise in response to familiar and unfamiliar stimuli.

Main Results:

  • Both humans and monkeys exhibit faster target detection when distractors are familiar versus unfamiliar.
  • This behavioral improvement is associated with increased sensitivity of target-selective neurons in the inferior temporal cortex.
  • Neural responses show an enhanced target signal and reduced noise from familiar distractors.

Conclusions:

  • Experience-dependent neural plasticity in the inferior temporal cortex underlies efficient visual search.
  • Familiarity modulates neural processing, improving signal-to-noise ratio for target identification.
  • These findings demonstrate the dynamic role of the ventral visual stream in adapting to environmental experience.