Visual Perception

Keith Clements
Introduction to Neuroscience
 Aims
You should be able to
Describe the key features of the eye and the
visual pathways.
Describe how information about brightness
and colour is processed from the retina to the
cortex.
 How the eye works
• Light reflects off objects. Reflected light passes
through pupil & lens and is focussed onto retina.
• Ciliary muscles alter the shape of the lens to
focus the image on the retina.
• Receptors in the retina, known as rods & cones,
convert light into neural signals.
• Cones provide visual acuity. Small numbers of
cones are connected to each ganglion cell, which
give rise to the optic nerve.
• Rods provide night vision, they work better in dim
light and information from large numbers of rods
is pooled.
• Daytime vision is best at the fovea, where cones
are most common.
 Visual pathways
Visual information travels from retinal
ganglion cells to brain via the Lateral
Geniculate Nucleus of the Thalamus.
The visual cortex is arranged topographically,
but with 25% of area devoted to fovea.
Cells are arranged in columns six deep.
 Binocular vision
Visual
information from
each eye crosses
over at the optic
chiasm. Each
hemisphere sees
one half of the
visual field.
 Visual processing in the retina
On-centre cell
On response when
Receptive field of light falls on centre.
ganglion cells (in Off response with
light in periphery
retina) selectively
respond to different
Off-centre cell
patterns of light. Off response when
light falls on centre.
On response with
light in periphery
 So What?
• Receptive fields enhance contrast
– Contribute to brightness constancy
Visual processing beyond the retina
Receptive cells in LGN and visual cortex (Hubel & Weisel,
1958, 1963). LGN cells had same concentric fields as retinal
cells.

Cells in visual cortex had “oblong structure” and were

sensitive to elongated areas of light.

Cells were selectively responsive to lines of particular

orientation (called these simple cells).
 Receptive fields in the cortex
In deeper levels of cortex Hubel and Weisel found
complex and hypercomplex cells.

Complex cells respond when line is anywhere in

oblong so long as it has a particular orientation.
Complex cells more sensitive to movement than
simple cells.

Hypercomplex cells respond to line of particular

orientation and length. Some appear to be sensitive
to angles (2 lines connecting).
 Theories of Colour Vision
Cones sensitive to light corresponding to blue,
green and red.

Trichromatic theory: 3 colours mix to produce other

colours.

Opponent process theory: receptors work in

opposition, with red green and yellow-blue
channels.
 Evidence

Three types of cone exist in retina that are

differentially sensitive to blue, green, red.

After-image effects are consistent with

opponent process.

Both theories are correct - trichomatic

account explains creation of yellow pathway
for blue - yellow opponent process.
Some Ganglion cells have colour-sensitive
concentric receptive fields red-green & blue-
yellow
 Reading
Read chapter 2 in Wickens

Most images from www.viperlib.com