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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.
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.
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category, whereas...
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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Where You Cut Matters: A Dissection and Analysis Guide for the Spatial Orientation of the Mouse Retina from Ocular Landmarks
08:42

Where You Cut Matters: A Dissection and Analysis Guide for the Spatial Orientation of the Mouse Retina from Ocular Landmarks

Published on: August 4, 2018

Retinal origin of orientation maps in visual cortex.

Se-Bum Paik1, Dario L Ringach

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Nature Neuroscience
|May 31, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study proposes that quasi-periodic orientation maps in the visual cortex arise from moiré interference of retinal ganglion cell mosaics. This mechanism explains map development and orientation tuning in mammals lacking orderly maps.

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Published on: August 4, 2018

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Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging

Published on: December 12, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Developmental Neuroscience

Background:

  • Orientation maps are a key feature of the mammalian primary visual cortex.
  • The developmental mechanisms and functional significance of orientation maps remain incompletely understood.
  • The absence of orderly orientation maps in some species, like rodents, presents a puzzle.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel mechanism for the development of quasi-periodic orientation maps in the visual cortex.
  • To test the prediction that iso-orientation domain centers form a hexagonal lattice.
  • To explain orientation map formation without relying on precise spontaneous activity or molecular guidance.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of moiré interference between ON- and OFF-center retinal ganglion cell mosaics.
  • Empirical analysis of cortical surface patterns in multiple mammalian species.

Main Results:

  • The study supports the moiré interference theory by demonstrating a hexagonal lattice arrangement of iso-orientation domain centers.
  • This pattern was observed in monkeys, cats, tree shrews, and ferrets.
  • The proposed mechanism provides a plausible explanation for orientation map development and orientation tuning.

Conclusions:

  • Quasi-periodic orientation maps are established by moiré interference of retinal ganglion cell mosaics.
  • This mechanism accounts for the hexagonal lattice pattern and explains orientation tuning, even in species lacking orderly maps.