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.

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,...

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...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Statistically efficient neural encoding of natural object variability shapes the temporal dynamics of visual processing.

NeuroImage·2026

Same author

Patterns of functional connectivity differentiate individuals and individual regions in face and scene selective networks.

Neuropsychologia·2026

Same author

Hyperfamiliarity for faces: Preserved core face processing with altered medial temporal lobe connectivity in a single case study.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026

Same author

Differences in face recognition predict the understanding of events during natural viewing.

Perception·2025

Same author

The perceptual and neural processing of familiar faces is shaped by the statistical regularities of real-world viewing.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2025

Same author

Idiosyncratic patterns of interhemispheric connectivity in the face and scene networks of the human brain.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

Differential sensitivity for viewpoint between familiar and unfamiliar faces in human visual cortex.

Michael P Ewbank¹, Timothy J Andrews

¹Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.

|March 18, 2008

Summary

Recognizing familiar faces is easier than unfamiliar ones. Brain scans show the fusiform face area (FFA) adapts to familiar faces across viewpoints but struggles with unfamiliar ones, revealing neural differences in face recognition.

More Related Videos

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Published on: December 8, 2023

Measuring Sensitivity to Viewpoint Change with and without Stereoscopic Cues

Measuring Sensitivity to Viewpoint Change with and without Stereoscopic Cues

Published on: December 4, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues

Published on: June 3, 2013

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Published on: December 8, 2023

Measuring Sensitivity to Viewpoint Change with and without Stereoscopic Cues

Measuring Sensitivity to Viewpoint Change with and without Stereoscopic Cues

Published on: December 4, 2013

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Human Face Recognition

Background:

Humans exhibit superior recognition for familiar faces compared to unfamiliar ones.
The neural underpinnings of this recognition difference, particularly viewpoint-dependence in face-selective brain regions, remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether viewpoint-dependence in face-selective brain regions underlies the differential recognition of familiar and unfamiliar faces.
To explore the neural representation of faces in the fusiform face area (FFA) and superior temporal sulcus (STS) using fMR-adaptation.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with adaptation paradigms was employed.
3D models of familiar and unfamiliar faces were presented at varying viewing angles to assess viewpoint-dependence.
Neural responses were measured in the fusiform face area (FFA) and superior temporal sulcus (STS).

Main Results:

Adaptation (reduced neural response) to repeated faces occurred in the FFA for both familiar and unfamiliar faces, but not the STS.
The FFA showed viewpoint-invariant adaptation for familiar faces across all viewing angle changes.
A release from adaptation was observed in the FFA for unfamiliar faces as viewing angles increased.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest a neural basis for the difference in recognizing familiar versus unfamiliar faces.
The FFA exhibits viewpoint-invariant processing for familiar faces, contributing to robust recognition.
The FFA's viewpoint-dependent processing for unfamiliar faces highlights challenges in recognizing novel individuals.