Visual cortex

The regions of the cerebral cortex that receive and process visual information. They include primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe and surrounding areas that analyze more complex features.

Lateral geniculate nucleus: A thalamic structure that relays much retinal output to the cerebral cortex. It sends the main feedforward visual pathway to primary visual cortex.
Retina: The light-sensitive neural tissue lining the back of the eye that converts light into neural signals. It begins the visual pathway that ultimately supplies cortical input.
Visual agnosia: An inability to recognize objects through vision despite adequate basic visual sensation. Damage to higher visual regions can impair recognition while leaving simpler visual abilities intact.
Ventral stream: The cortical visual pathway extending toward temporal cortex and supporting object and form recognition. It is commonly associated with identifying what is seen.
Visual awareness: The conscious experience of seeing visual features, objects, and scenes. Its neural basis remains unsettled even though visual cortex is central to ordinary seeing.
Retinotopy: The preservation of neighboring points in a sensory surface as neighboring locations in the brain. Visual cortex maps retinal position across its surface.
Optic nerve: The bundle of retinal ganglion-cell axons that carries visual signals from each eye toward the brain. Its fibers carry retinal output into the central visual pathway.
Akinetopsia: A rare disorder in which visual motion perception is severely impaired. Damage involving motion-sensitive visual cortex can disrupt perceived movement.
Dorsal stream: The cortical visual pathway extending toward parietal cortex and supporting spatial processing and visually guided action. It is commonly associated with locating objects and guiding actions toward them.
Neural correlates of consciousness: The neural processes and structures associated with conscious experience. Studies of visual awareness seek the neural activity specifically linked to seeing consciously.

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