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Related Concept Videos

Visual Agnosia01:12

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...
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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.
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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...
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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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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
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Tool selectivity in left occipitotemporal cortex develops without vision.

Marius V Peelen1, Stefania Bracci, Xueming Lu

  • 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, Italy. marius.peelen@unitn.it

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|May 8, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Tool-selective brain activity in the left lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) develops even without visual experience. This finding suggests that the brain

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Previous research identified a tool-selective region in the left lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC).
  • This region typically responds to visual stimuli of tools and tool-related motion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether visual experience is necessary for the development of tool-selective responses in the left LOTC.
  • To explore the role of auditory versus visual information in activating this brain region.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study 14 congenitally blind and 16 sighted participants.
  • Participants listened to auditory words for tools, animals, and nonmanipulable objects.
  • Sighted participants also viewed pictures of these objects.

Main Results:

  • Both sighted and congenitally blind participants showed significant tool-selective activity in the left LOTC when processing auditory tool-related words.
  • This activity was comparable in strength and location between the two groups.
  • Functional connectivity was observed between the left LOTC and a frontoparietal network in both groups.

Conclusions:

  • Tool-selective responses in the left LOTC can develop without any prior visual experience of tools.
  • This suggests that the organization of the occipitotemporal cortex is not solely dependent on visual input.
  • The findings provide insights into the principles underlying brain functional organization.