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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.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...

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....

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,...

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...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Published on: January 22, 2018

Information Exchange between Cortical Areas: The Visual System as a Model.

Hang Zeng^1,2, Siyi Chen³, Gereon R Fink^2,4

¹Center for Educational Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China.

The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry

|January 21, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This review explores how the brain

Keywords:

cortico-cortical communication interareal information exchange visual cortex

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science

Background:

Coordinated neural processing in distributed cortical networks underpins brain functions.
Understanding interareal information transfer is crucial for neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

To review critical aspects of interareal information exchange in the brain.
To highlight new theories and techniques advancing this understanding.

Main Methods:

Examination of structural connectivity as the framework for communication.
Illustration of information exchange using the visual system.
Review of established and novel theories of neural communication.

Main Results:

Structural connectivity forms the basis for interareal communication.
The visual system serves as a model for understanding information flow.
Recent work provides new perspectives on neural communication principles.

Conclusions:

Interareal information exchange is fundamental to brain function.
Ongoing research continues to refine our understanding of neural communication mechanisms.
Open questions remain regarding the neural mechanisms of interareal information exchange.