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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.
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Vision

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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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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 8, 2026

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Creating Objects and Object Categories for Studying Perception and Perceptual Learning

Published on: November 2, 2012

Linking brain to behavior for the visual perception of figures and objects.

Jeremy D Fesi¹, Janine D Mendola¹

¹Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Visual Neuroscience

|August 24, 2013

Summary

Understanding how the brain perceives figures involves linking visual cortex activity to perceptual tasks. Further research must explore temporal interactions between brain regions for a complete picture of object perception.

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Last Updated: May 8, 2026

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Visual Perception

Background:

Figure-ground segregation is crucial for object recognition and interaction.
Understanding the neural basis of figure perception is key to comprehending visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To review experimental evidence linking visual cortex activity to figure perception tasks.
To contextualize figure processing within broader object processing frameworks in the brain.

Main Methods:

Review of existing experimental studies on visual cortex activity and figure perception.
Organization of findings based on a proposed model of figure processing.

Main Results:

Identified specific hypotheses linking cortical regions to particular figure perception tasks.
Highlighted the need to consider temporal interactions between brain regions.

Conclusions:

Current literature provides partial insights into the neural correlates of figure perception.
A comprehensive understanding requires investigating the dynamic interplay of various cortical regions across different tasks.