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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
Published on: January 22, 2018
Does visual modularity increase over the course of development?
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA. kdobkins@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
Early in postnatal development, the brain produces exuberant connections, some of which are later retracted, a process that is thought to play a role in the formation of functionally segregated modules in the brain. In the case of visual development, retraction between visual areas might underlie the known psychophysical and neural segregation of processing for different aspects of vision (e.g., color, motion, form, depth) known to exist in adults. This review covers the psychophysical evidence for increasing dissociation between visual modules over the course of development, and provides insight into the possible functions of this developmental alteration.
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