What is the function of the visual cortex?
The visual cortex is the primary cortical region of the brain that receives, integrates, and processes visual information relayed from the retinas. It is in the occipital lobe of the primary cerebral cortex, which is in the most posterior region of the brain.
Why does foveal magnification occur in primary visual cortex?
The high density of photoreceptors in the fovea (macaque) or area centralis (cat) result in cortical magnification or a substantially increased representation of the central visual field compared to the periphery (upper right).
Which part of the brain is responsible for visual processing?
occipital lobe
The primary visual cortical receiving area is in the occipital lobe. The primary visual cortex is characterized by a unique layered appearance in Nissl stained tissue. Nearly the entire caudal half of the cerebral cortex is dedicated to processing visual information.
How does the visual cortex process images?
Most researchers believe that visual processing in the cortex occurs through two distinct ‘streams’ of information. One stream, sometimes called the What Pathway (purple in the image below), is involved in recognising and identifying objects.
How is visual information represented in the brain?
Visual information from the retina is relayed through the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus to the primary visual cortex — a thin sheet of tissue (less than one-tenth of an inch thick), a bit larger than a half-dollar, which is located in the occipital lobe in the back of the brain.
How does the eye process visual information?
When light hits the retina (a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye), special cells called photoreceptors turn the light into electrical signals. These electrical signals travel from the retina through the optic nerve to the brain. Then the brain turns the signals into the images you see.