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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.
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.
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...
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,...
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,...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 26, 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

Higher level visual cortex represents retinotopic, not spatiotopic, object location.

Julie D Golomb1, Nancy Kanwisher

  • 1McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. jgolomb@mit.edu

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|December 23, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human visual cortex represents object location in eye-centered (retinotopic) coordinates, not world-centered (spatiotopic) ones. This suggests spatiotopic information is reconstructed with each eye movement.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 26, 2026

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

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Published on: December 8, 2023

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
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Published on: August 1, 2018

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns
09:42

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Vision requires identifying objects and their locations.
  • Initial visual processing is retinotopic (eye-centered).
  • Real-world interaction needs spatiotopic (absolute) location data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate if higher visual cortex encodes retinotopic or spatiotopic object positions.
  • Determine the nature of spatial representations in human visual cortex.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA).
  • Manipulated stimulus and fixation positions.
  • Conducted searchlight analysis across the visual cortex.

Main Results:

  • Object category and location information found in ventral, dorsal, and early visual regions.
  • All tested location information was purely retinotopic, regardless of task demands.
  • Searchlight analysis confirmed predominantly retinotopic representations.

Conclusions:

  • Higher visual cortex primarily uses retinotopic, not spatiotopic, coordinates for object location.
  • Spatiotopic object position is likely computed indirectly and updated with eye movements.
  • Subjective experience of spatiotopic vision may arise from continuous neural reconstruction.