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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.
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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.

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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.
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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 27, 2025

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

Learning speed and detection sensitivity controlled by distinct cortico-fugal neurons in visual cortex.

Sarah Ruediger^1,2,3, Massimo Scanziani^1,2,3

¹Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, Neurobiology Section and Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States.

|December 7, 2020

Summary

Cortico-fugal neurons in the visual cortex influence goal-directed behavior. Ablating striatal pathways slows learning, while ablating superior colliculus pathways reduces detection sensitivity in mice.

Keywords:

behavior cortex cortico-fugal pathways mouse neuroscience striatum superior colliculus vision

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Last Updated: Nov 27, 2025

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

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Published on: August 1, 2018

Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients

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Published on: June 17, 2019

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

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Published on: May 12, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience
Visual Processing

Background:

Goal-directed behaviors rely on visual input to brain structures like the striatum and optic tectum.
Mammalian visual processing also involves descending input from the visual cortex (VC) via cortico-fugal projections.
The precise role of these cortico-fugal pathways in goal-directed behavior is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the function of two distinct cortico-fugal neuron populations originating in the mouse visual cortex.
To determine their impact on the learning and performance of a visual detection task.

Main Methods:

Utilized ablation techniques to selectively remove specific populations of cortico-fugal neurons in mice.
Assessed the effects of these ablations on learning speed and detection sensitivity in a visual task.

Main Results:

Ablation of neurons projecting to the striatum significantly decreased the speed of learning.
Ablation of neurons projecting to the superior colliculus did not affect learning speed but impaired detection sensitivity.
Demonstrated a functional dissociation between different cortico-fugal pathways.

Conclusions:

Distinct cortico-fugal neuron populations in the visual cortex play specialized roles in goal-directed behavior.
These pathways contribute adaptively to both the learning rate and the sensory precision of visual detection.