Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.

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.

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

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...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

Brain Imaging

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Correction: Digital wellbeing experience in the workplace: development and validation of the Work-Related Human Computer Interaction Questionnaire.

Frontiers in public health·2026

Same author

Socio-psychological predictors of school dropout intention among Italian adolescents: evidence from a large-scale study.

Frontiers in psychology·2026

Same author

Individual traits and experiences predict the content of dreams.

Communications psychology·2026

Same author

Identifying six core motor learning variables for neurorehabilitation: a comprehensive review with natural language processing analysis.

European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine·2026

Same author

Digital wellbeing experience in the workplace: development and validation of the Work-Related Human Computer Interaction Questionnaire.

Frontiers in public health·2026

Same author

Sexual assault by a gynecologist with two frontal lobe meningiomas: implications and challenges for forensic psychiatric assessment: a case report.

Frontiers in psychiatry·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2026

The Gateway to the Brain: Dissecting the Primate Eye

The Gateway to the Brain: Dissecting the Primate Eye

Published on: May 27, 2009

New light from the dark: what blindness can teach us about brain function.

Emiliano Ricciardi¹, Pietro Pietrini

¹Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. emiliano.ricciardi@bioclinica.unipi.it

Current Opinion in Neurology

|June 17, 2011

Summary

Brain imaging reveals that the human brain

More Related Videos

Perspectives on Neuroscience

Perspectives on Neuroscience

Published on: July 31, 2007

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Published on: August 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 31, 2026

The Gateway to the Brain: Dissecting the Primate Eye

The Gateway to the Brain: Dissecting the Primate Eye

Published on: May 27, 2009

Perspectives on Neuroscience

Perspectives on Neuroscience

Published on: July 31, 2007

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice

Published on: August 11, 2021

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Understanding the role of visual experience in brain development is crucial.
Investigating how the brain adapts in the absence of vision provides insights into its fundamental architecture.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent brain imaging studies on the impact of visual experience on brain development.
To explore the necessity of vision for processing the external world and understanding brain function.

Main Methods:

Review of structural and functional brain imaging studies.
Comparison of brain organization in congenitally blind and sighted individuals.

Main Results:

Congenitally blind and sighted individuals show similar cognitive and social performances.
Supramodal brain regions process information irrespective of sensory input, demonstrating abstract functional organization.
This supramodal organization aids in knowledge acquisition and interaction with the environment for the blind.

Conclusions:

Brain functional organization is largely independent of visual experience.
The brain processes information in a supramodal manner.
Studying the blind brain illuminates cross-modal plasticity and the fundamental functional architecture of the human brain.