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Related Concept Videos

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.

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.

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 7, 2026

Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex

Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex

Published on: February 8, 2020

Inhibition, spike threshold, and stimulus selectivity in primary visual cortex.

Nicholas J Priebe¹, David Ferster

¹Section of Neurobiology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0920, Austin, TX 78712, USA.

|February 29, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Precise visual cortex selectivity arises from feed-forward circuits, not lateral inhibition. Intrinsic neuronal nonlinearities explain response properties previously attributed to feedback mechanisms.

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Last Updated: Jul 7, 2026

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Published on: May 7, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Visual Processing

Background:

Hubel and Wiesel's work on orientation selectivity sparked debate on its emergence.
Two main models exist: feed-forward (thalamocortical inputs) and feedback (lateral inhibition).
Conflicting evidence exists: some properties suggest lateral inhibition, while recordings lack consistent support.

Purpose of the Study:

Resolve the paradox between models of visual cortex selectivity.
Investigate if intrinsic neuronal properties can explain selectivity without lateral inhibition.

Main Methods:

Developed computational feed-forward models.
Incorporated intrinsic nonlinear properties of cortical neurons: spike threshold, contrast saturation, and spike-rate rectification.

Main Results:

Feed-forward models with intrinsic nonlinearities successfully replicate properties previously thought to require lateral inhibition.
Demonstrated that precise orientation and direction selectivity can emerge without lateral inhibition.
Showed that cross-orientation suppression can also be explained by these feed-forward mechanisms.

Conclusions:

Intrinsic nonlinear properties of cortical neurons are sufficient to explain precise visual selectivity.
Challenges the necessity of lateral inhibition in refining selectivity in the visual cortex.
Offers a unified explanation for diverse response properties within a feed-forward framework.