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Related Concept Videos

Vision01:24

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.
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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.
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

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,...
Visual System01:26

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

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 the...
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

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 layer, the vascular tunic,...

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Vision as looking and seeing through a bottleneck.

Current opinion in neurobiology·2026
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Conduction velocity of intracortical axons in monkey primary visual cortex grows with distance: Implications for computation.

Vision research·2026
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The superficial layers of the primary visual cortex create a saliency map that feeds forward to the parietal cortex.

PLoS biology·2025
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V1 superficial layers create a saliency map that feeds forward to the parietal cortex for attentional guidance.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
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Testing the top-down feedback in the central visual field using the reversed depth illusion.

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Trans-saccadic integration for object recognition peters out with pre-saccadic object eccentricity as target-directed saccades become more saliency-driven.

Vision research·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

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

What are the functions of primary visual cortex (V1)?

Li Zhaoping1

  • 1University of Tübingen, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.

Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|May 13, 2026
PubMed
Summary

The primary visual cortex (V1) functions as a motor cortex for eye movements and initiates a visual information bottleneck. Recent discoveries reveal V1

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • Decades ago, Hubel and Wiesel elucidated individual V1 neuron functions in processing retinal input.
  • Recent research is uncovering the collective functions of the entire V1 area.
  • Understanding V1's role is crucial for comprehending visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline the recently discovered functions of the primary visual cortex (V1) as a whole.
  • To propose a framework for vision based on V1's role in information processing.
  • To explain how V1 integrates bottom-up and top-down processing for visual perception.

Main Methods:

  • The study synthesizes recent findings on V1 function.
  • It integrates concepts from neuroscience, visual perception, and computational modeling.

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

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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation
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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Published on: December 8, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 15, 2026

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

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

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation
07:11

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Published on: December 8, 2023

  • The framework is based on observed V1 behaviors and downstream processing limitations.

    • Main Results:

    • V1 acts as a motor cortex, generating saliency maps to guide saccades (eye movements).
    • V1 creates a processing bottleneck, significantly reducing visual information sent to downstream areas.
    • Top-down feedback from downstream areas supplements impoverished information, particularly for central visual field representations.

    Conclusions:

    • Vision is framed as a process of 'looking' (selecting information via saccades) and 'seeing' (recognizing information through a bottleneck).
    • V1's functions, including saliency mapping and information bottleneck, are central to this 'looking and seeing' framework.
    • The interplay between peripheral and central visual field processing in V1 is key to efficient vision.