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visual cortex

This shows a brain surrounded by fruits.

·August 5, 2025·6 min read

Promise of Reward Changes How We Pay Attention

A new study reveals that our brains treat sensitivity and decision bias as separate processes when rewards are at stake. Using eye-tracking and EEG during a visual task, researchers found that attention-related brain regions ramp up when we focus on potential rewards, but only when it boosts sensitivity—not bias.

This shows a brain and a range of objects including shapes and bouncing balls.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·July 31, 2025·6 min read

Brain Sorts ‘Stuff’ from ‘Things’ Using Separate Neural Circuits

A new study reveals that our brains separate “stuff” like water and sand from “things” like balls or tools, using specialized circuits in the visual cortex. Functional MRI scans showed distinct areas within the ventral and dorsal visual pathways that preferentially respond to the fluidity or rigidity of materials. T

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·July 25, 2025·6 min read

Brain Decodes Visual Memories by Timing, Not Just Firing Neurons

A new study has uncovered how the brain efficiently encodes and recalls visual memories—by organizing them into categories and using the precise timing of neuronal activity.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 17, 2025·5 min read

Your Brain Instantly Sees What You Can Do, AI Still Can’t

New research shows that the human brain automatically recognizes what actions an environment affords—like walking, climbing, or swimming—even without conscious thought. Using MRI scans, researchers found unique activity in visual brain regions that went beyond simply processing objects or colors, revealing deep neural encoding of “affordances,” or possible actions.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·December 6, 2024·4 min read

How the Brain Sorts Noise from Signal to Maintain Stable Perception

New research reveals how the brain separates internally generated noise from sensory signals, ensuring stable perception. The study shows that in lower visual areas, spontaneous brain activity and stimulus-evoked responses are similar, but in higher cortical areas, they become increasingly independent, a process known as orthogonalization.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 22, 2024·6 min read

How Visual Clutter Disrupts Information Flow in the Brain

A new study reveals that visual clutter alters how information flows between neurons in the brain’s primary visual cortex, but not the order in which it's processed. Researchers found that the efficiency of information transfer changes depending on the location of clutter in the visual field.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 3, 2024·4 min read

Mapping Millions of Brain Connections

Researchers upgraded BARseq to map millions of neurons, enhancing our understanding of brain connections. This advanced technique reveals how losing vision changes the visual cortex, making it more like neighboring brain areas.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 17, 2024·5 min read

Brain’s Arousal Fine-Tunes Visual Signals

Arousal levels directly influence how the brain processes visual information. Researchers found that the firing patterns of neurons in the thalamus, a key relay station for visual signals, change in response to pupil dilation and constriction, indicators of arousal. This modulation of neural activity provides a mechanistic explanation for how our internal states shape our visual perception.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·April 8, 2023·5 min read

How the Brain Slows Down When We Focus Our Gaze

A new study reveals that the brain can switch between slow and fast integration of information, allowing it to modulate the timescales on which it operates. The study also provides insight into how the structure of neural networks determines the speed at which information is integrated, which may have implications for future research on brain function and cognitive processes.

This shows a person surrounded by lots of colorful images

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·April 7, 2023·5 min read

In Bilingual Readers, the Visual Cortex Processes Latin and Chinese Characters Differently

In people who are bilingual in English and Chinese, certain cortical areas react specifically to Chinese ideograms and appear to be involved in facial recognition processing.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 27, 2023·4 min read

How the Brain Creates Your Taste in Art

Using a combination of machine learning and neuroimaging data, researchers revealed a neural basis for aesthetic appreciation.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·February 23, 2023·3 min read

Trained Brains Rapidly Suppress Visual Distractions

Following training, the brain's visual center can suppress neuronal responses to pop-out distractors that are usually enhanced compared to other, non-distracting stimuli.

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visual cortex

Promise of Reward Changes How We Pay Attention

Brain Sorts ‘Stuff’ from ‘Things’ Using Separate Neural Circuits

Brain Decodes Visual Memories by Timing, Not Just Firing Neurons

Your Brain Instantly Sees What You Can Do, AI Still Can’t

How the Brain Sorts Noise from Signal to Maintain Stable Perception

How Visual Clutter Disrupts Information Flow in the Brain

Mapping Millions of Brain Connections

Brain’s Arousal Fine-Tunes Visual Signals

How the Brain Slows Down When We Focus Our Gaze

In Bilingual Readers, the Visual Cortex Processes Latin and Chinese Characters Differently

How the Brain Creates Your Taste in Art

Trained Brains Rapidly Suppress Visual Distractions

Neuron Discovery Could Help Restore Breathing After Spinal Injuries

Pre-Pregnancy Obesity Linked to Autism Risk

Feline Dementia Mirrors Human Alzheimer’s

When Gut Rhythms Over-Sync With the Brain, Mental Strain Rises

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