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Related Concept Videos

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.

Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 12, 2026

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity

Published on: May 7, 2017

Input and output gain modulation by the lateral interhemispheric network in early visual cortex.

Thomas Wunderle¹, David Eriksson², Christiane Peiker³

¹Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany, and thomas.wunderle@esi-frankfurt.de.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|May 22, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Lateral networks in the brain modulate neuronal function through both direct and indirect pathways. This study reveals these pathways influence visual cortex neurons by adjusting sensitivity and overall response gain.

Keywords:

contrast gain corpus callosum lateral connection primary visual cortex response gain reversible deactivation

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Visual System Research
Cortical Circuitry

Background:

Neurons integrate diverse inputs, with lateral inputs modulating responsiveness, sensitivity, and selectivity.
Understanding lateral network modulation is crucial for comprehending cortical processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the modulatory role of lateral input from the same cortical hierarchy level.
To explore how interhemispheric input affects neuronal responses in the primary visual cortex.

Main Methods:

Recordings in the primary visual cortex of cats.
Controlled synaptic input from the contralateral hemisphere via reversible deactivation.
Stimulation with visual stimuli of varying contrasts and orientations.

Main Results:

Most neurons showed decreased responses to visual stimuli, indicating an unspecific gain-setting mechanism.
Interhemispheric input altered contrast sensitivity, suggesting a direct input gain modulation.
A mixture of input and output gain modulation was observed in many neurons.

Conclusions:

The lateral network employs both direct (feature-specific sensitivity change) and indirect (unspecific gain setting) mechanisms.
The interplay between direct and indirect effects shapes the final neuronal output.
A model of lateral interhemispheric interactions was developed based on these findings.