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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.

Visual System

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...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

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Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

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.

Anatomy of the Eyeball

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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,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Long-range, pattern-dependent contextual effects in early human visual cortex.

Sung Jun Joo¹, Geoffrey M Boynton, Scott O Murray

¹Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. sjjoo@uw.edu

Current Biology : CB

|April 17, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Neurons in the early visual cortex detect more than just features; they respond strongly to deviations within visual patterns. This suggests sensitivity to global image structures, challenging standard models.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual Perception
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Standard models propose early visual cortex neurons act as localized feature detectors.
This view suggests limited sensitivity to the broader context of visual stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if early visual cortex processing extends beyond simple feature detection.
To determine if neural responses are modulated by the relationship between a feature and its surrounding context.
To challenge existing models of cortical visual processing.

Main Methods:

Utilized psychophysics, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and electroencephalography (EEG).
Measured neural responses to oriented Gabor targets within varying flanking stimulus contexts.
Employed psychophysical contrast adaptation, fMRI, and event-related potentials (ERPs).

Main Results:

Neural activity was greater when a target feature deviated from its context compared to when it did not.
fMRI and psychophysics indicated sensitivity to large-scale orientation patterns.
ERPs revealed that orientation deviations impact early sensory processing components.
Forced-choice tasks showed increased likelihood of perceiving orientations that deviate from context.

Conclusions:

Early visual cortex neurons are sensitive to global patterns in images.
Neural processing in early visual areas goes beyond localized feature detection.
Findings contradict predictions of standard models of cortical visual processing.