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Related Concept Videos

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...

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.

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....

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

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Motion-defined surface segregation in human visual cortex.

Gabriel J Vigano¹, Ryan T Maloney, Colin W G Clifford

¹University of Sydney.

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

|April 18, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Early visual cortex activity correlates with perceived motion transparency. This suggests early visual areas help segregate visual scenes into transparent surfaces for better analysis.

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Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

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Published on: August 1, 2018

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Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

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Published on: May 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

Surface segregation is crucial for visual scene analysis.
Understanding how the brain achieves motion-defined surface segregation is key to visual perception.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the segregation of motion-defined transparent surfaces.
To determine the role of early visual cortex in perceptual transparency.

Main Methods:

Psychophysical tasks involving random dot kinematograms (RDKs) with varying colors and rotation directions.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activity in visual cortical areas.
Univariate and multivariate analyses of fMRI BOLD signals.

Main Results:

Perceptual transparency was achieved with spatially interleaved RDKs across all tested frequencies.
Transparency perception in sequential RDK displays depended on alternation frequency, breaking down at lower frequencies.
Neural activity in early visual areas (V1-V5/MT+) mirrored psychophysical performance, showing differences between presentation types mainly at lower frequencies.

Conclusions:

Early visual cortex plays a significant role in segregating motion-defined surfaces.
This segregation mechanism in early visual areas likely enables the perception of transparency.