Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

9.1K
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....
9.1K
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

10.6K
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,...
10.6K
Vision01:24

Vision

61.6K
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.
61.6K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

4.7K
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...
4.7K
Visual System01:26

Visual System

2.3K
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...
2.3K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

11.8K
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...
11.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The physiological foundation of extinction improvement by tDCS over the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in healthy humans: an fMRI study.

Translational psychiatry·2026
Same author

Neural correlates of appetitive extinction learning: an fMRI study with actively participating pigeons.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Spiking the mind: Rethinking the role of cortical feedback in visual mental imagery.

Psychological review·2026
Same author

Multimodal Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Frontomedial Theta and BOLD Signal Reveal Functional Roles in Updating and Suppressing Aversive Memory During Fear Extinction.

Psychophysiology·2026
Same author

The latent organization of white matter microstructure and its relation to fluid intelligence.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026
Same author

Comprehensive large-scale analyses reveal association between brain structure and cognitive ability during adolescence.

Communications biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 5, 2026

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity
10:05

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

Published on: May 7, 2017

13.0K

Smaller Primary Visual Cortex Is Associated with Stronger, but Less Precise Mental Imagery.

Johanna Bergmann1, Erhan Genç2, Axel Kohler3

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia Department of Neurophysiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany Brain Imaging Center Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main 60528, Germany.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|August 20, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Individual differences in mental imagery strength and precision are linked to the size of the primary visual cortex (V1). Smaller V1 areas correlate with stronger but less precise mental imagery, impacting imagination.

Keywords:
early visual cortexgray matter surface sizeindividual differencesprimary visual cortexvisual imagery

More Related Videos

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

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

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K
Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
05:36

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

8.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 5, 2026

A Large Lateral Craniotomy Procedure for Mesoscale Wide-field Optical Imaging of Brain Activity
10:05

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

Published on: May 7, 2017

13.0K
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

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

Published on: August 1, 2018

8.8K
Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
05:36

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

8.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Mental imagery plays a crucial role in perception, cognition, and behavior.
  • Significant individual variability exists in mental imagery capabilities, with underlying neural mechanisms remaining unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between individual differences in mental imagery and the anatomical structure of the early visual cortex.
  • To explore how primary visual cortex (V1) anatomy influences the strength and precision of mental imagery.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a behavioral paradigm to measure the functional impact of mental images on conscious perception.
  • Employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) retinotopic mapping to estimate the surface area of the primary visual cortex (V1).
  • Correlated behavioral imagery measures with V1 anatomical data.

Main Results:

  • A negative relationship was observed between V1 surface area and sensory imagery strength.
  • Positive relationships were found between V1 surface area and imagery precision (spatial location and orientation).
  • Subjective imagery vividness correlated with prefrontal cortex volume but not V1 anatomy.

Conclusions:

  • The anatomical layout of the primary visual cortex (V1) is crucial in shaping the strength and precision of human mental imagination.
  • Individual differences in V1 anatomy contribute to variations in mental imagery capabilities.
  • Findings provide novel insights into the neural basis of individual differences in mental imagery.