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Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

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 Agnosia01:12

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"...
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

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,...
Visual System01:26

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 Cortex01:14

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.
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

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,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation
07:11

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

Published on: December 8, 2023

Thick visual cortex in the early blind.

Jiefeng Jiang1, Wanlin Zhu, Feng Shi

  • 1LIAMA Center for Computational Medicine, National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|February 21, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Early blindness leads to thicker visual cortices due to reduced synaptic pruning. Sensory experience is crucial for normal brain development and cortical thickness regulation.

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Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Neuroanatomy

Background:

  • Cortical thickness is a key neurodevelopmental indicator.
  • Synaptogenesis and synaptic regression are critical processes influencing brain structure.
  • The role of sensory experience in regulating these processes is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how synaptogenesis and regression impact cortical thickness.
  • To compare visual cortex thickness in early-blind, late-blind, and sighted individuals.
  • To explore the influence of visual experience on neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of visual cortex thickness in human subjects.
  • Comparison between groups with different onset ages of blindness and sighted controls.

Main Results:

  • Early-blind individuals exhibited significantly thicker bilateral visual cortices compared to late-blind and sighted individuals.
  • No significant difference in visual cortex thickness was observed between late-blind and sighted control groups.
  • Findings suggest reduced synaptic pruning in the visual cortex of the early blind.

Conclusions:

  • Sensory experience, particularly visual input during critical developmental periods, is essential for appropriate synaptic regression.
  • Synaptic regression plays a significant role in determining macroscopic anatomical features such as cortical thickness.
  • Altered neurodevelopmental trajectories in early blindness may result from a lack of visual experience leading to reduced synaptic pruning.