Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Association Areas of the Cortex

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,...

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.

Parallel Processing

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...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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.

Anatomy of the Eyeball

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 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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Diagnostic Images for Mild Cognitive Impairment Are Sensitive to Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers and Reveal Abnormal Scene Processing.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2026

Same author

Within-subject alterations in CSF and blood flow dynamics following rhythm-control intervention in atrial fibrillation: An exploratory multimodal MRI study.

NeuroImage. Clinical·2026

Same author

Joint trajectories of brain atrophy, white matter hyperintensities and cognition quantify brain maintenance.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Patterns of Ongoing Thought Are Associated With Emotion Regulation and Negative Affect in Daily Life.

Affective science·2026

Same author

Role of neuronal oscillations in memory driven visual processing.

BMC biology·2026

Same author

Pathways to resilience: relationships between cognitive reserve, psychological debt, and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.

Alzheimer's research & therapy·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Split of attentional resources in human visual cortex.

Carmen Morawetz¹, Petra Holz, Juergen Baudewig

¹MR-Research in Neurology & Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany.

Visual Neuroscience

|December 21, 2007

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Dividing visual spatial attention creates multiple "spotlights" for processing information, even in peripheral vision. Brain imaging shows distinct activations, though they may merge depending on spotlight characteristics.

More Related Videos

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

Visual spatial attention is often conceptualized as a spotlight focusing on specific locations.
Research suggests the capacity to divide attentional focus across spatially separate regions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural correlates of divided visual spatial attention using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
To examine how the eccentricity of attentional foci influences the detection of multiple activation patterns in the visual cortex.

Main Methods:

Employing fMRI to detect retinotopically specific activation foci indicative of multiple attention spotlights.
Presenting five simultaneous rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams.
Instructing participants to perform match-mismatch judgments on single or dual non-contiguous attentional locations.

Main Results:

Divided attention successfully generated multiple attentional spotlights, applicable to both central and peripheral visual field locations.
Activation patterns in the visual cortex confirmed the presence of distinct attentional spotlights.
Observed that the spatial extent and precise location of attentional spotlights can lead to merged activation patterns, potentially obscuring distinct foci.

Conclusions:

The human brain can establish and utilize multiple, spatially distinct attentional spotlights.
fMRI activation patterns provide evidence for the neural basis of divided attention.
The interpretation of fMRI data requires careful consideration of attentional spotlight characteristics to avoid misinterpreting merged activations.