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

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....

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

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...

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.

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,...

Anatomy of the Eyeball

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Reassessing Choice Probability: What 59 Macaque Studies Tell Us About Decision-Related Activity in Visual Cortex.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Distinct sources of decision-related signals in visual cortex are represented in different local field potential bands.

PLoS biology·2026

Same author

Inactivation of primate cortex reveals inductive biases in visual learning.

Current biology : CB·2025

Same author

Brain stimulation preferentially influences long-range projections.

Science advances·2025

Same author

Stimulus-dependent delay of perceptual filling-in by microsaccades.

Journal of vision·2025

Same author

Control of Inhibition-Stabilized Oscillations in Wilson-Cowan Networks with Homeostatic Plasticity.

Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Same journal

Computational and mathematical models in vision: Quantitative approaches to understanding visual perception.

Vision research·2026

Same journal

Complex interactions between lightness, chroma, and hue in color ensemble perception.

Vision research·2026

Same journal

Driving with autism spectrum disorder: Exploring the impact of tactile hazard warnings on gaze behavior and hazard responses.

Vision research·2026

Same journal

Early visual processing in adults with ADHD: evidence from contrast sensitivity, spatial integration, and external noise.

Vision research·2026

Same journal

Pupil reflexes generate the peripheral drift illusion due to ON/OFF motion responses.

Vision research·2026

Same journal

Perceived direction of glass patterns can flip by 90°: A neural model.

Vision research·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Contextual modulation and stimulus selectivity in extrastriate cortex.

Matthew R Krause¹, Christopher C Pack¹

¹Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Vision Research

|December 3, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Contextual modulation enhances feature selectivity in higher visual areas. This neural computation refines responses to naturalistic stimuli, improving optic flow and contour processing.

Keywords:

Contextual modulation Extrastriate cortex Macaque Neurophysiology Normalization Surround

More Related Videos

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention

Published on: September 11, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Visual System Research

Background:

Contextual modulation is well-documented in early visual processing (retina, V1).
Its role in generating feature selectivity is established in these early stages.
Extrastriate visual cortex also exhibits contextual modulation.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore contextual modulation's role in extrastriate visual cortex (dorsal and ventral streams).
To investigate how normalization models can elucidate contextual modulation's function.
To determine if contextual modulation enhances selectivity for naturalistic stimuli.

Main Methods:

Review of recent research utilizing normalization models.
Analysis of single-neuron recordings and behavioral experiments.
Examination of visual processing in primate extrastriate areas.

Main Results:

Contextual modulation elaborates feature selectivity in extrastriate areas.
Normalization models support specific roles for contextual modulation.
Neuronal populations become more selective for naturalistic stimuli due to contextual modulation.
Specific roles in processing optic flow (MT, MST) and natural contours (V4, IT) were discussed.
Circuitry for contextual modulation shows robustness to input level variations.

Conclusions:

Contextual modulation is crucial for feature selectivity in higher visual processing.
It plays a key role in processing complex natural stimuli like optic flow and contours.
The underlying neural circuitry is adaptable to varying input conditions.