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Vision

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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.

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Cerebral Hemispheres

The human brain, a complex organ, is functionally divided into two cerebral hemispheres—left and right. These hemispheres are interconnected by a structure of paramount importance, the corpus callosum. This substantial bundle of neural fibers is not just a bridge between the hemispheres but a crucial element for the brain's comprehensive functioning. It enables efficient communication between the two hemispheres, allowing each side of the brain to control and receive sensory and motor...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

Published on: May 7, 2017

Activity-dependent development of interhemispheric connections in the visual cortex.

Yoshiaki Tagawa¹, Hidenobu Mizuno, Tomoo Hirano

¹Department of Biophysics, Kyoto University Graduate School of Science, Kyoto, Japan. tagawa@neurosci.biophys.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Reviews in the Neurosciences

|June 20, 2008

Summary

Developing callosal neurons require intrinsic firing activity for proper brain hemisphere connections. This neuronal activity is crucial for axonal projections and dendritic maturation before sensory input becomes available.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Neuroscience
Axonal Development

Background:

Interhemispheric connections via the corpus callosum integrate information between cerebral hemispheres.
Callosal connection development involves axon guidance molecules and neuronal activity.
Recent research highlights the role of intrinsic neuronal activity in early development.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of intrinsic callosal neuron firing activity in establishing interhemispheric connections.
To explore how cellular excitability influences axonal projections and dendritic maturation.
To discuss mechanisms underlying activity-dependent axonal growth.

Main Methods:

Analysis of neuronal activity in developing callosal neurons.
Investigation of factors affecting cellular excitability.
Examination of axonal projection and dendritic maturation processes.

Main Results:

Intrinsic firing activity of callosal neurons is essential for forming axonal projections.
Neuronal activity plays a critical role in dendritic maturation before sensory input.
Cellular excitability directly impacts the establishment of interhemispheric connections.

Conclusions:

Intrinsic neuronal activity is a key driver of callosal development.
Modulating cellular excitability could influence the formation of brain connectivity.
Understanding these mechanisms is vital for developmental neuroscience.