Brain complexity: visual help (Introduction)

by David Turell , Wednesday, December 23, 2015, 16:20 (3258 days ago) @ David Turell

A new study of the Thalamus shows it appears to send contextual information to he optic cortex:-http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-thalamus-contextual-visual.html-"The thalamus not only relays visual signals from the eye to the visual cortex as previously thought, but also conveys additional, contextual information. Integrating these different signals is essential to understand and interpret what we see in the world around us. Prof. Sonja Hofer and her research team at the Biozentrum, University Basel, investigate how the brain processes visual stimuli and how contextual information shapes our visual perception.-***-"The visual cortex, which comprises the largest part of the human brain, is responsible for analyzing visual information and allows us to see.-***-"What we see is not only based on the signals that our eyes send to our brain, but is influenced strongly by the context the visual stimulus is presented in, on our previous knowledge, and expectations. Optical illusions, as the one shown here, illustrate how important such non-visual, contextual information is for our perception. The visual cortex receives this additional information from other brain areas and uses it to allow us to understand and interpret the visual world. Prof. Hofer and her team measured the specific signals transmitted to visual cortex from the Thalamus, and found that the Pulvinar not only conveyed visual signals but is also one of the brain areas that provide additional information about the context of visual stimuli.-***-"Although the Pulvinar is the largest part of the thalamus in humans, its function is still largely unknown. The researchers' findings begin to shed some light on the role of this mysterious structure. Another piece of the puzzle are the signals sent back to the Pulvinar from visual cortex, which seem to make information flow back and forth between the two parts of the brain in a loop. Why this is the case is still completely unclear. Prof. Hofer's team is now planning to study these visual loops, and to find out how signals from the Pulvinar influence our visual perceptions and actions."-Comment: The visual cortex is a very large part of the brain. This article shows the integration of parts of the brain to allow us the best interpretation of the stimuli we receive.