Visual Cortex Mapping
Visual Cortex Mapping - Related Videos
10:09
Mapping the After-effects of Theta Burst Stimulation on the Human Auditory Cortex with Functional Imaging
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Cited by 13 •
2012
Auditory processing is the basis of speech and music-related processing. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has been used successfully to study cognitive, sensory and motor systems but has rarely been applied to audition. Here we investigated TMS combined with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to understand the functional organization of auditory cortex.
11:03
Motor Maps
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel—University of Southern California One principle of brain organization is the topographic mapping of information. Especially in sensory and motor cortices, adjacent regions of the brain tend to represent information from adjacent parts of the body, resulting in maps of the body expressed on the surface of the brain. The primary sensory and motor maps in the brain surround a prominent sulcus known as the central sulcus. The cortex...
11:12
Chronic Imaging of Mouse Visual Cortex Using a Thinned-skull Preparation
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Cited by 20 •
2010
In this video and supplemental material, we show a protocol for chronic in vivo imaging of the intact brain using a thinned-skull preparation.
03:46
Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Visual Cortex
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2025
Source: Galenchik-Chan, A., et al. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation. J. Vis. Exp. (2023). The video demonstrates functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the visual cortex to map activity based on blood oxygenation levels. Structural MRI images are acquired as anatomical references, followed by fMRI scans. Visual stimuli are displayed to activate retinotopic neurons in the visual cortex. The increased energy demand...
04:18
Visualization and Mapping of Neuronal Pathways in an Amygdala Brain Slice
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2025
This video demonstrates a procedure for analyzing synaptic connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and amygdala neurons using acute amygdala brain slices from mice. The mPFC neurons in these mice express channelrhodopsin fused to a fluorescent protein. The channelrhodopsins facilitate ion influx and action potential generation in the mPFC neurons upon light activation. Consequently, mPFC neurons release neurotransmitters that bind to postsynaptic amygdala neurons, triggering...
FAQs
Retinotopic organization is revealed when researchers compare cortical responses to stimuli presented at different visual-field locations. Neighboring stimulus locations produce systematically related response patterns, allowing investigators to infer how visual space is arranged across the cortex. This organization provides a structural framework for interpreting specialized processing, including differences between regions responding to color, motion, shape, or objects.
Researchers vary the features of controlled visual stimuli and compare the resulting neural response patterns. If different cortical regions respond preferentially to particular features, those response differences support functional specialization. This approach separates the organization of visual space from the processing of visual content, helping link activity in specific areas with perceptual functions rather than with stimulus location alone.
These approaches provide complementary evidence about visual processing. Functional magnetic resonance imaging measures patterns of brain activity, electrophysiology records neural responses, and lesion analysis examines consequences associated with damaged regions. Comparing findings across methods can strengthen interpretations of cortical organization, because response measurements and changes in visual function offer different perspectives on how regions contribute to perception and behavior.
Experiments typically compare the location of a visual stimulus and its relevant features, such as color, motion, shape, or object-related content. Researchers then examine how these controlled changes alter neural responses across cortical regions. Holding other conditions consistent makes it easier to attribute response differences to the visual variable being tested and to identify organized or specialized processing.
A study begins by presenting controlled visual stimuli while recording neural responses with functional magnetic resonance imaging, electrophysiology, or by examining lesion-related effects. Researchers compare activity across stimulus locations and visual features, then organize the response patterns into a cortical map. Finally, they relate the mapped activity to visual functions, perception, behavior, or changes caused by injury or altered input.
The method supports investigations of normal visual organization as well as brain development and neurological disorders. It can show how cortical networks change after injury or when visual input is altered, making it relevant to sensory restoration research. By connecting neural maps with perception and behavior, investigators can study both the functional consequences of cortical change and the organization of visual processing.