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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.

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...

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways

At the molecular level, visual signals trigger transformations in photopigment molecules, resulting in changes in the photoreceptor cell's membrane potential. The photon's energy level is denoted by its wavelength, with each specific wavelength of visible light associated with a distinct color. The spectral range of visible light, classified as electromagnetic radiation, spans from 380 to 720 nm. Electromagnetic radiation wavelengths exceeding 720 nm fall under the infrared category,...

Color Vision

Color Vision

Color perception begins in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Two main theories explain how colors are seen: the trichromatic theory and the opponent-process theory. The trichromatic theory, proposed by Thomas Young in 1802 and extended by Hermann von Helmholtz in 1852, suggests that color vision is based on three types of cone receptors in the retina. These cones are sensitive to different but overlapping ranges of wavelengths corresponding to red, blue, and green.

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Using Looming Visual Stimuli to Evaluate Mouse Vision

Published on: June 13, 2019

Visual processing mode switching regulated by VIP cells.

Jung Hoon Lee¹, Stefan Mihalas²

¹Allen Institute for Brain Science, 615 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, Washington, USA. jungl@alleninstitute.org.

Scientific Reports

|May 14, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Locomotion reduces surround suppression in the visual cortex by depolarizing vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons. This allows neurons to better process moving objects, optimizing visual information encoding during movement.

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Published on: February 7, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Visual Processing

Background:

Neuronal responses in the primary visual cortex (V1) are modulated by behavioral states.
Locomotion is known to reduce surround suppression in V1.
Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide positive (VIP) interneuron depolarization during locomotion is a potential mechanism for this reduction, but its precise functions remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the functional roles of VIP cell depolarization during locomotion in the mouse primary visual cortex (V1).
To investigate how VIP cell depolarization influences surround suppression and visual information processing during movement.

Main Methods:

Utilized a firing rate model to simulate neuronal activity.
Employed a computational model to analyze the effects of VIP cell depolarization on V1 responses.

Main Results:

Surround suppression sharpens V1 responses to stationary visual scenes.
Depolarized VIP cells enhance V1 responses to moving objects by reducing self-induced surround suppression.
Locomotion enables selective enhancement of V1 neuron responses to specific features of moving objects.

Conclusions:

VIP cells play a crucial role in regulating surround suppression during locomotion.
VIP cell depolarization allows pyramidal neurons in V1 to optimally encode visual information, adapting to behavioral states.
These findings highlight a mechanism by which the brain dynamically adjusts visual processing based on behavioral context.