Connections & Re-Wirings
The human visual system isn’t complete when a baby is born. It develops as a baby sees things. How does that happen? Also, as vision fails due to eye disease, how do the retinal neurons react? Two research projects studied these phenomena and their findings provided more information on how the eye and brain work […]
Restoring Vision Pathways
In medical circles, the eyes are considered the front of the brain, and it is the interaction between the eyes and the brain that is responsible for vision. When something isn’t working correctly in either the eyes or the brain, vision is impaired. What are the brain circuits responsible for visual acuity? Also, is there […]
Seeing, Remembering, and Understanding Part Two
Part one dealt with how the brain’s primary and secondary visual cortices organize information that is coming from the eyes. What if you have to do something, like finding two books on different shelves after you set them aside? How do the eyes and brain work together in a situation like the one just described? […]
Seeing, Remembering, and Understanding Part One
How do the eyes and brain work together when it comes to categorizing and memory? For example, you go to the supermarket and you see some carrots. Do you think of the carrots as an ingredient for a salad or are they part of a snack tray? Or imagine seeing two books on different shelves […]
Visual Clutter and Cognitive Processing
According to most studies, 80 percent of what humans learn comes from vision. Of course, all that visual information goes to the brain, where it is processed, and a person does a specific action, such as picking up an object or moving from Point A to Point B. This makes the eyes the front part […]
The Brain’s Inner Workings When It Comes to Vision
Vision isn’t as easy as it looks, pardon the pun. Images are coming into to the eye and going to the brain where they are interpreted by the person. Seeing the image spurs the person to move away, if it is an obstacle in their path. Conversely, the image can spur the person tor move […]
Targeting and Repairing Genes: Breakthroughs in Treating Eye Diseases
Many times, the purpose of vision research is to identify genes that cause diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and Leber Congenital Amaurosis, and then either stop the gene from causing damage or fix the troublesome gene entirely. Two research projects are focused on just that and the results are promising. Scientists from the lab […]
Insects and Circadian Rhythm
It is no secret that the eye and the brain work together for both vision and regulating the circadian rhythm. Yet, what is going on at the cellular level and deep within the brain that allows for vision and the sleep/wake cycle to work correctly. Well, as you can guess research is taking place in […]
Evolution, Circadian Rhythm & How They Relate to the Eye
The eye is like a security camera that captures images that are both at rest and in motion. From our eyes, images travel through the retina and go to the brain. This information allows us to perform a myriad of tasks from reading, creating a meal to navigating from Point A to Point B. In […]
The Novel & The Familiar
Have you ever wondered what happens in our brains that allows us not only to see, but also to recognize what is familiar and novel? Scientists have pondered this question, as well. Two research projects have studied this, and here is what scientists have learned. How Vision Contributes Working Memory Working memory involves briefly retaining […]