TOPIC- STRUCTURE OF VISUAL CORTEX

PRESENTED BY
RAHUL DAS
ROLL NO- 16401722015
SEM- 4TH
COURSE : B. OPTM
SUBJECT-INTRODUCTION TO VISION SCIENCE
 INTRODUCTION

• 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.
 STRUCTURE OF VISUAL CORTEX
• Visual cortex Divided into a primary visual cortex and secondary visual
areas.

• 1.Primary visual cortex

 The primary visual cortex lies in the calcarine fissure area(occipital pole).
 This area is the terminus of direct visual signals from the eyes.
 The peripheral retinal representation occupies the anterior part ofvisual
cortex.
 Macular representation occupies the posterior part of visual cortex near
occipital pole.
 The upper portion of the retina is represented superiorly and the lower portion
is represented inferiorly.
 The primary visual cortex is also called visual area I or the striate cortex
because this area has a grossly striated appearance.

2-Secondary Visual Cortex.(visual association areas).

 Brodmann's area 18 : called visual area II or simply V-2.
 The other, more distant secondary visual areas have specific designations-V-
3, V-4, and so forth- up to more than a dozen areas.
 lie lateral, anterior, superior, and inferior to the primary visual cortex.
 Concerned with the interpretation of visual impulses
 various aspects of the visual image are progressively dissected and analyzed.
TWO MAJOR PATHWAYS FOR ANALYSIS OF VISUAL INFORMATION
pathways in the secondary visual areas:

1.THE FAST"POSITION" AND "MOTION" PATHWAY:

Analysis of Third-Dimensional Position, Gross Form, and Motion of Objects.

2. THE ACCURATE COLOR PATHWAY:

Analysis of Visual Detail and Color.
 Functions of visual cortex
Functions of primary visual cortex. (Brodmann's area 17).
1-Analysis of visual information by
I. the fast"position" and "motion" pathway
II. the accurate color pathway
2-Analysis of Contrasts in the Visual Image
3-Detects Orientation of Lines and Borders by "Simple" Cells.
4-Detection of Line Orientation When a Line Is Displaced Laterally or
Vertically in the Visual Field by "Complex" Cells.
5-Detection of Lines of Specific Lengths, Angles, or Other Shapes
6-Detection Of Color.
• Functions of secondary visual cortex/ visual association
areas/Brodmann's area 18 and 19/ peristriate areas.
1-various aspects of the visual image are progressively dissected and
analyzed.
2-Relates visual information received by primary visual cortex to past
experience.
3- person recognize and appreciates what he is seeing.
Removal of the primary visual cortex in the human being causes:
 loss of conscious vision-that is, blindness.
 such "blind" people can still, at times, react subconsciously to changes
in light intensity, to movement in the visual scene, or, rarely, even to
some gross patterns of vision. These reactions include turning the eyes,
turning the head, and avoidance.
 This vision is believed to be subserved by neuronal pathways that pass
from the optic tracts mainly into the superior colliculi and other
portions of the older visual system.
Removal of secondary visual cortex causes:
 DYSLEXIA or word blindness. Person does not understand meaning
of seen words.
 Person is unable to perceive shape size and meaning of objects.