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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.

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...

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Value-based modulations in human visual cortex.

John T Serences¹

¹Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA. jserences@ucsd.edu

|December 27, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Prior rewards bias decision-making by influencing visual processing and neural activity. This study reveals how the brain tracks stimulus value to guide behavior, impacting visual perception.

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Last Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

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Published on: May 12, 2019

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

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

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroeconomics
Visual Perception

Background:

Prior rewards are known to bias decision-making towards high expected value options.
Value influences sensorimotor neuron activity during movement initiation for competing choices.
Limited understanding exists on how value affects sensory information acquisition and representation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how reward history influences the human visual system.
To identify neural mechanisms tracking stimulus value for behavioral guidance.
To explore value's impact on sensory information processing beyond motor responses.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to observe brain activity.
Researchers examined neural modulations in visual areas during a decision-making task.
Stimulus-specific reward history was correlated with observed brain activity patterns.

Main Results:

fMRI data showed value-related modulations in human visual cortex, including V1, even without overt eye movements.
These modulations correlated with the reward history of stimuli, not subjective value estimates.
Specific frontal and parietal cortex regions were identified as representing differential stimulus values.

Conclusions:

Value, particularly derived from reward history, modulates visual processing in early and higher visual areas.
Frontoparietal regions play a crucial role in representing competing stimulus values.
These findings suggest a neural mechanism where value signals bias visual processing to guide behavior.