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,...

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...

Visual Agnosia

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...

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.

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.

Organization of the Brain

Organization of the Brain

The brain is an integral component of the nervous system and serves as the center for processing sensory inputs, making decisions, and directing bodily actions. This complex organ is organized into three primary sections: the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain, each responsible for a range of vital functions.
Hindbrain
The hindbrain, located at the base of the brain, plays a vital role in regulating automatic processes that sustain life. It includes the medulla oblongata, which is essential for...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Tactile hypo-responsivity in autism: Examining potential for diagnostic relevance.

JCPP advances·2026

Same author

Lymph node-targeted DNA engages TBK1/IFN-I-driven innate immunity to induce potent T cell responses and durable memory in mice and NHPs.

Science advances·2026

Same author

Decreased BOLD Signal Variability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults on the Autism Spectrum.

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research·2026

Same author

Autism outcomes and neurobehavioural markers in young children born to mothers with HIV in Kenya: a protocol for the Alama project.

BMJ open·2026

Same author

An Investigation of Attentional Networks, the Locus Coeruleus - Norepinephrine System, and Autism and ADHD Traits.

Journal of attention disorders·2025

Same author

Extremely/Very Premature Birth Associated With Focal Epileptic Activity in Comorbid Autism and Epilepsy.

Journal of child neurology·2025

Same journal

Preliminary evaluation of a novel Brief Mathematics Achievement Test as a proxy for measuring quality of education in culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

Same journal

Cognitive dispersion in the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

Same journal

Randomized controlled trial of Understanding Social Situations versus problem-solving training in improving social function in people with psychosis.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

Same journal

Neuropsychological criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) best identify neuroimaging-based risk profiles: A Department of Defense/Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

Same journal

King-Devick test normative values and reliable change analysis for elite Finnish adolescent ice hockey athletes.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

Same journal

Age-varying associations between parent-reported executive function and internalizing/externalizing problems in children with neurofibromatosis type 1: an integrative analysis of data from nine institutions.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Published on: June 17, 2019

Functional brain organization for visual search in ASD.

Brandon Keehn¹, Laurie Brenner, Erica Palmer

¹Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA.

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS

|October 29, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show increased visual search efficiency due to enhanced visual discrimination and attention modulation, revealed by distinct brain activation patterns compared to typically developing children.

More Related Videos

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Published on: December 7, 2018

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Published on: March 27, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

Published on: June 17, 2019

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos

Published on: December 7, 2018

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Published on: March 27, 2012

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are anecdotally reported to excel at visual search tasks.
However, the specific neural mechanisms underpinning visual search efficiency in ASD remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neurofunctional correlates of visual search in children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) children.
To identify brain regions associated with efficient and inefficient visual search in both groups.

Main Methods:

Utilized an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design.
Employed a visual search paradigm with varying set sizes (6, 12, 24 items), distractor composition (homogeneous/heterogeneous), and target presence.
Analyzed response times (RT) and brain activation patterns.

Main Results:

The ASD group exhibited increased search efficiency (RT by set size slopes) despite similar response times to the TD group.
Brain imaging revealed distinct activation patterns: ASD recruited frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices, while TD showed more limited occipito-temporal activation.
Direct comparisons indicated greater occipital and frontoparietal activation in ASD participants during visual search.

Conclusions:

Enhanced visual search efficiency in autism spectrum disorder may stem from superior visual discrimination (occipital activation) and heightened top-down attentional control (frontoparietal activation).
These findings elucidate the neural basis of visual search differences in ASD, contributing to our understanding of neurodevelopmental variations in attention and perception.