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Visual Neuroscience

Visual Neuroscience news articles cover science research into visual cortex, vision, visual disorders, blindness, brain processing of visual cues, facial recognition and research related to how eyes and brains function.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·December 4, 2024·4 min read

Sleep Apnea May Increase Risk of Wet Macular Degeneration

A new study has linked moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), characterized by low oxygen levels overnight, with an increased risk of developing wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The research suggests nocturnal hypoxia could affect the oxygen-sensitive retina, contributing to AMD progression.

This shows an ape looking at a computer monitor.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Visual Neuroscience

·November 26, 2024·3 min read

Great Apes’ Gaze Reveals Human-Like Event Perception

Great apes track events involving agents and patients, like humans, suggesting shared cognitive mechanisms. When watching video clips, apes alternated their gaze between agents (e.g., a cat) and patients (e.g., a mouse), similar to adult humans, though apes paid more attention to background details.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 25, 2024·6 min read

How Expectations Shape Our Gaze in a Changing World

Our expectations about potential changes in a scene influence how we move our eyes, even when viewing static images. Participants looked more at areas with a high "potential for change" (PfC)—such as objects likely to move—when they expected the scene to become dynamic, despite no motion occurring during the observation period.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 22, 2024·5 min read

Brainstem Neurons Guide Gaze, Maintain Short-Term Memory

Researchers used zebrafish larvae to uncover how brainstem neurons guide gaze and maintain short-term memory. By mapping neuronal circuits, they built a computational model that accurately predicted network activity. The findings shed light on visual-motor systems and offer insights for treating eye movement disorders.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·November 7, 2024·4 min read

How Our Brain Stabilizes Vision Amid Constant Eye Movement

A new study reveals how the brain compensates for rapid eye movements, maintaining a stable visual perception despite dynamic visual input. Researchers found that this stability mechanism breaks down for non-rigid motion like rotating vortices, leading to visual instability.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 23, 2024·6 min read

Brain Processes Sentence Structures as Fast as Visual Scenes

The human brain can detect the structure of a short sentence in as little as 150 milliseconds, the speed of a blink. Using brain imaging, scientists found that the brain's language comprehension system processes sentences flashed on a screen similarly to how it perceives a visual scene.

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

·October 10, 2024·4 min read

Neuroimaging Reveals How OPC Cells Shape Visual Processing

Researchers revealed the intricate role of OPC cells in shaping the brain's neural circuits. Previously known mainly for supporting neuron insulation, OPCs also prune unnecessary synaptic connections, refining the brain’s wiring as we accumulate experiences.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·October 2, 2024·4 min read

Targeting Protein Reduces Macular Degeneration Symptoms

New research identifies a protein, TIMP3, overproduced in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that may drive the disease’s progression. By targeting the enzyme linked to inflammation and drusen formation, scientists reduced early signs of AMD in stem cell models, offering hope for new treatments.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology Visual Neuroscience

·October 1, 2024·5 min read

Reduced Brain Response to Visual Cues Linked to Psychosis in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) who experience visual hallucinations have reduced brain responses to unexpected visual changes, a marker known as visual mismatch negativity (vMMN). Using EEG, researchers compared brain activity in PD patients with and without hallucinations and discovered that those with hallucinations showed weaker vMMN signals.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 10, 2024·5 min read

How Flickering Light Induces Hallucinations

A new study reveals how flickering lights can trigger hallucinations by causing standing waves in the brain's visual cortex. Researchers observed that high-frequency flickering lights create ripple-like waves of neural activity, which turn into standing waves at higher frequencies.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 9, 2024·4 min read

Gene Therapy Offers Hope for Glaucoma and AMD

A newly developed gene therapy shows great potential for treating glaucoma, a condition that can lead to vision loss. The therapy protects retinal ganglion cells, essential for vision, and improves their function in animal models of glaucoma. It also enhances energy production in human retinal cells, which could prevent further damage. This therapy offers a new and promising approach to treating a condition that affects millions worldwide.