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Related Concept Videos

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,...
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.
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,...
The Retina01:32

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
Focusing of Light in the Eye01:16

Focusing of Light in the Eye

Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that is the eye's outermost layer. The cornea bends or refracts, light rays traveling to the pupil. The shape of the cornea determines how much of the light is bent and whether the image will be focused correctly on the retina at the back of the eye. Once the light has passed through both refraction layers, it converges into a single focal point onto a small area. This is where photoreceptors start transforming...
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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Alignment of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergrams with Confocal Images of the Same Mouse Retina
07:02

Alignment of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergrams with Confocal Images of the Same Mouse Retina

Published on: June 30, 2023

The foveal confluence in human visual cortex.

Mark M Schira1, Christopher W Tyler, Michael Breakspear

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. mschira@science.unsw.edu.au

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|July 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary

High-resolution fMRI reveals the human foveal confluence. Visual areas V1, V2, and V3 are separable into the fovea, with V2 and V3 having larger representations than V1 for detailed central vision.

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

Published on: December 8, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Alignment of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergrams with Confocal Images of the Same Mouse Retina
07:02

Alignment of Visible-Light Optical Coherence Tomography Fibergrams with Confocal Images of the Same Mouse Retina

Published on: June 30, 2023

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

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Neuroscience
  • Human Brain Mapping

Background:

  • The fovea, crucial for detailed vision, receives a disproportionate share of visual system resources.
  • The precise organization of visual cortex areas V1, V2, and V3 at the foveal confluence is debated, especially in humans.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To accurately map the human foveal confluence using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • To resolve competing models of visual area organization at the fovea and understand human visual processing.

Main Methods:

  • Employed high-resolution fMRI with a resolution of 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 mm(3).
  • Utilized carefully designed visual stimuli to probe the central visual field.
  • Mapped the cortical representations of visual areas V1, V2, and V3 within the foveal confluence.

Main Results:

  • V1, V2, and V3 were found to be separable into the center of the foveal confluence.
  • V1 forms a rounded wedge, while V2 and V3 form continuous bands around V1's tip.
  • Unexpectedly, V2 and V3 representations are larger than V1's for the central 0.75 degrees of the visual field.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides an accurate map of the human foveal confluence, clarifying the organization of early visual areas.
  • The findings suggest a highly anisotropic representation of the visual field, with enhanced processing for central vision by V2 and V3.
  • More neuronal resources are dedicated to second-level visual analysis in the fovea than previously assumed.