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

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.

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Simulated study to examine shower drain splash risks in healthcare from a multi-disciplinary team perspective: time to reconsider ensuite facility redesign?

The Journal of hospital infection·2026

Same author

Transient visual evoked potential abnormalities in ADNP syndrome.

Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders·2026

Same author

Measuring Multisensory Integration in Clinical Settings: Comparing an Established Laboratory Method with a Novel Digital Health App.

Brain sciences·2025

Same author

How Does Anterior Vertebral Body Tethering Compare to Posterior Spinal Fusion for Thoracic Idiopathic Scoliosis? A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.

Clinical orthopaedics and related research·2025

Same author

Cortical processing of color: Chromatic visual evoked potentials.

Vision research·2025

Same author

Harmful Marketing: An Overlooked Social Determinant of Health.

Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

Sex & vision I: Spatio-temporal resolution.

Israel Abramov¹, James Gordon, Olga Feldman

¹Psychology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA. iabramov@brooklyn.cuny.edu.

Biology of Sex Differences

|September 5, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Males exhibit superior visual acuity and sensitivity to fine details and rapid motion compared to females, suggesting a significant role for testosterone in visual processing and cortical development.

More Related Videos

High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy

High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: July 25, 2014

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Published on: September 13, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Highly Resolved Intravital Striped-illumination Microscopy of Germinal Centers

Published on: April 9, 2014

High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy

High-resolution Spatiotemporal Analysis of Receptor Dynamics by Single-molecule Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: July 25, 2014

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Published on: September 13, 2022

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Vision Science
Human Physiology

Background:

The cerebral cortex possesses numerous testosterone receptors, potentially explaining sex differences in sensory perception.
While sex differences in audition are established, vision has not been extensively studied despite high testosterone receptor density in the occipital lobe.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate sex differences in fundamental visual functions, specifically spatial and temporal pattern resolution and visual acuity.
To explore the influence of testosterone on visual processing in the primary visual cortex.

Main Methods:

Large groups of young adults with normal vision were tested using a comprehensive battery of visual assessments.
Contrast-sensitivity functions (CSF) were measured across spatio-temporal domains using sinusoidal gratings and a QUEST psychophysical algorithm.
Visual acuity limits were determined by model fitting and extrapolation.

Main Results:

Significant sex differences were observed in the contrast-sensitivity function (CSF) across spatio-temporal frequencies.
Males demonstrated enhanced sensitivity, particularly at higher spatial frequencies, and significantly better visual acuity at all tested temporal rates.
Spatial CSFs shifted at higher temporal rates, indicating altered sensitivity to low and high spatial frequencies.

Conclusions:

Marked sex differences in vision, analogous to other sensory systems, were confirmed.
Testosterone is implicated in sex-specific visual processing, potentially influencing thalamocortical connectivity during development.
Males possess superior sensitivity for fine visual details and dynamic stimuli, possibly linked to evolutionary adaptations.