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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.
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,...
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...
The Retina01:32

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways01:22

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...
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.

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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
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Brightness and transparency in the early visual cortex.

Viljami R Salmela1, Simo Vanni

  • 1Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Division of Cognitive and Neuropsychology, University of Helsinki, Finland. viljami.salmela@helsinki.fi

Journal of Vision
|June 26, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neural processes of visual perception are explored. Early visual cortex areas V1-V3 show sensitivity to surface brightness and transparency, suggesting separate neural representations for these distinct visual qualities.

Keywords:
brightnessfMRIprimary visual cortextransparency

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Psychophysical studies demonstrate transparency's significant impact on perceived brightness and lightness.
  • Neural mechanisms underlying these perceptual effects, particularly in the early visual cortex, remain largely unresolved.
  • Discrepant findings exist regarding the role of the primary visual cortex (V1) in surface brightness representation and the neural locus of transparency perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses in human visual areas V1, V2, and V3 and perceived brightness and transparency.
  • To differentiate the blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response related to brightness from responses to local contrast and mean luminance.
  • To determine the neural representation of transparency within the early visual cortex.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized variants of White's brightness illusion, employing both opaque and transparent stimuli where luminance increments and decrements were balanced to isolate brightness effects.
  • Modulated surround luminance sinusoidally (0.5 Hz) to induce brightness modulation in a constant or counter-modulated target surface.
  • Calculated mean BOLD signal changes in V1, V2, and V3 corresponding to the retinotopic location of the target surface.

Main Results:

  • BOLD responses in V1-V3 were significantly stronger for stimuli inducing brightness modulation compared to those with constant brightness.
  • fMRI responses were also stronger for transparent stimuli than for opaque stimuli, albeit with greater inter-individual variability.
  • No significant interaction was found between the effects of brightness and transparency on BOLD responses.

Conclusions:

  • The early visual areas V1, V2, and V3 are sensitive to both surface brightness and transparency.
  • These findings suggest that brightness and transparency are processed and represented separately within the early visual cortex.
  • This study contributes to resolving the neural basis of brightness and transparency perception.