How is the Visual Cortex Organized?
All visual information that the human mind receives is processed by a part of the brain known as visual cortex. The visual cortex is part of the outermost layer of the brain, the cortex, and is located at the dorsal pole of the occipital lobe; more simply put, at the lower rear of the brain. The visual cortex obtains its information via projections that extend all the way through the brain from the eyeballs. The projections first pass through a stopover point in the middle of the brain, an almondlike lump known as the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, or LGN. From there they are projected to the visual cortex for processing.
All visual information that the human mind receives is processed by a part of the brain known as visual cortex. The visual cortex is part of the outermost layer of the brain, the cortex, and is located at the dorsal pole of the occipital lobe; more simply put, at the lower rear of the brain. The visual cortex obtains its information via projections that extend all the way through the brain from the eyeballs. The projections first pass through a stopover point in the middle of the brain, an almond-like lump known as the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, or LGN. From there they are projected to the visual cortex for processing. Visual cortex is broken down into five areas, labeled V1, V2, V3, V4, and MT, which on occasion is referred to as V5. V1, sometimes called striate cortex because of its stripey appearance when dyed and put under a microscope, is by far the largest and most important. It is sometimes called primary visual cortex or area 17. The other visual areas are referred to as extra
