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The Brain  The Vision Wiki

 Physiology of Vision
The "brain" as we tend to refer to it is a structure of densely packed nerve cells
(neurons) called the cerebral cortex. On a broad level, the cerebral cortex is  The Brain
divided into four main areas (termed lobes). The frontal lobe is critical for motor
 Visual System
execution and eye movement. The temporal lobe is critical for auditory
processing and visual and language memory. The parietal lobe is critical for
 Fifth Cranial Nerve
sensory processing. The occipital lobe is critical for vision and visual processing.
 Third Cranial Nerve

 Second Cranial Nerve

 Complex Cells in the Visual

Cortex

 Sixth Cranial Nerve

 Seventh Cranial Nerve

 Visual Cortex

 Eye Muscles

 Binocular Neurons

 Simple Cells in the Visual

Cortex

 Fourth Cranial Nerve

Frontal Lobe  Neuroplasticity

 Brain Injury
The frontal lobe is the largest area of the brain. It is primarily responsible for the
 Acquired Brain Injury
planning and execution of actions as well as inhibition.

 Neuro Optometric
The primary motor cortex controls the majority of movement. The left side of Rehabilitation
the brain controls movement for the right side of the body, and vice-versa. The
 Traumatic Brain Injury
main crossing location of these motor fibers occurs in the brainstem.

 Sports and Brain Injury

The medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal area, and the medial frontal area are
responsible for motivation and social information processing and regulating  The Eyes
emotions, behavior, and personality.
 Gabor Patches

The frontal lobe also contains Broca's area (expressive language area) which is
 Visual Snow
controls speech and the frontal eye fields that help direct eye movements.
 Ocular Immune System

Cerebral Cortex  Evolution Of Eyes

 Blue Field Entoptic

Cortex means "bark" in Latin and appropriately the cerebral cortex is the Phenomena
outermost layer of the brain, made up primarily of grey matter. It is the most
prominent visible feature of the human brain, and although it is only a few  Bates Method
millimeters thick, it comprises about half of the weight of the brain.
 Ophthalmology Lecture

The cerebral cortex forms extensive connections and is involved in

 Optical Illusions
multitudinous brain functions. As a means of simplification, the cerebral cortex
is often characterized as being made up of three types of areas: sensory, motor,  Stereo Illusions
and association areas.
 Eye Problems

Central Sulcus  Binocular Vision

The central sulcus is a prominent landmark of the brain, separating the parietal  Lazy Eye
lobe from the frontal lobe
 Lazy Eye Treatments

Parietal Lobe  Reading

 Fields of Study
A large portion of the parietal lobe is dedicated to sensation. The primary
somatosensory cortex receives sensory input from the opposite side of the  Research
body. The parietal lobe also contains areas responsible for the dorsal or
"where" pathway of visual processing and spatial orientation.  Glaucoma

 Virtual Reality
Thalamus
 Organizations
The thalamus is a large, symmetrical (meaning there is one in each cerebral
hemisphere) structure that makes up most of the mass of the diencephalon. A
large number of pathways travel through the thalamus, including all of the
sensory pathways other than those devoted to olfaction (smell).

The thalamus is often described as a relay station. This is because almost all
sensory information (with the exception of smell) that proceeds to the cortex
first stops in the thalamus before being sent on to its destination. For example,
visual information from your retina travels to the lateral geniculate nucleus of
the thalamus, which is specialized to handle visual information, before being
sent on to the primary visual cortex (the main area for visual processing in the
brain).

Occipital Lobe

The occipital lobe is dedicated to vision. It receives information from the lateral
geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, and aids in the processing of visual
information. The primary visual cortex is contained in the occipital lobe.

Cerebellar Cortex

The cerebellar cortex receives information from most parts of the body, and
from many other regions of the brain. The cerebellum integrates this
information and sends signals back to the rest of the brain, thereby enabling
accurate and well-coordinated movements.

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is hard to miss when you're looking at a brain. Cerebellum is

Latin for "little brain", and indeed the cerebellum looks a bit like a smaller
version of our brain. It protrudes from the back and bottom of the cerebral
cortex.

It is best known for its part in the modulation of movement. When we make a
voluntary movement, the signal to initiate that movement originates in the
motor cortices. Before the signal is sent to our muscles, however, it is sent to
the cerebellum.

Brain Stem

The spinal cord enters the skull through an opening known as the foramen
magnum. At about this point, the cord merges with the medulla oblongata,
which is the lowest part of the brainstem. The brainstem is thus the stalk that
extends from the brain to meet the spinal cord, and is clearly visible when
looking at the brain from any perspective that allows the base of the brain to be
seen. The brainstem is made up of 3 major structures: the medulla oblongata
(usually just called the medulla), the pons, and the midbrain.

In addition to connecting the brain to the rest of the nervous system, the
brainstem has a number of essential functions. To simplify things, I'll discuss
some of the functions associated with each of the three major regions of the
brainstem. It should be noted, however, that the organization of the brainstem
is very complex and this is just an overview.

Medulla

In addition to being the point where the brainstem connects to the spinal cord,
the medulla contains a nucleus called the nucleus of the solitary tract that is
crucial for our survival. The nucleus of the solitary tract receives information
about blood flow, along with information about levels of oxygen and carbon
dioxide in the blood, from the heart and major blood vessels

Pons

The next structure on our way up the brainstem is the pons. The pons is hard to
miss; it is a large, rounded, and bulging structure just above the medulla. The
word "pons" means bridge in Latin, and it resembles a rounded bridge that
connects the medulla and the midbrain.

The pons is an important pathway for tracts that run from the cerebrum down
to the medulla and spinal cord, as well as for tracts that travel up into the brain.
It also forms important connections with the cerebellum via fiber bundles
known as the cerebellar peduncles.

Motor commands dealing with eye movement, chewing, and facial expressions
also originate in the pons. Additionally, cranial nerve nuclei in the pons are
involved in a number of other functions, including swallowing, tear production,
hearing, and maintaining balance/equilibrium.

Temporal Lobe

The temporal lobe contains critical areas that process and retain visual and
auditory information. The primary auditory cortex is contained here, as is
Wernicke's area which is critical for language comprehension. The temporal
lobe is also responsible for the ventral or "what" pathway of visual processing.

Limbic Lobe (Limbic System)

The limbic system is composed of the hypothalamus, amygdala, thalamus, basal

ganglia, and hippocampus. This is the "emotional" brain and contributes to
memory formation and storage, as well as regulation of hormones.

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a small (about the size of an almond) region located

directly above the brainstem. It is buried deep within the brain and not visible
without dissecting the brain.

Many of the important roles of the hypothalamus involve what are known as
the two H's: Homeostasis and Hormones.

Lateral Ventricles

The ventricles are four interconnected cavities distributed throughout the brain
that produce and contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

The ventricles are lined with a specialized membrane called the choroid plexus,
which is made up of ependymal cells. Ependymal cells are glial cells tailored to
produce CSF, and they secrete the fluid into the ventricles at a relatively
constant rate

Corpus Callosum

To understand the role of the corpus callosum, it is first important to remember

that the brain is divided into two cerebral hemispheres (right and left). The
hemispheres are made distinct from one another by a long groove called the
medial longitudinal fissure. On a large scale, the two hemispheres are nearly
identical, but on a microscopic and functional level there are some di!erences.

When information like sensory data is sent to the brain it is typically received
first in one hemisphere. For example, when you type on your keyboard,
information about the feel of the keys is sent up from your right hand to the
primary somatosensory cortex on the left side of your brain. That information,
however, must then be shared with the right side of your brain as well. That's
where the corpus callosum comes into play. It is a large bundle of fibers that
connects the left and right hemispheres, and it carries information received in
one hemisphere over to the other.

Sources: Neuroanatomy, Cerebral Cortex:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537247/

Know Your Brain: https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/know-your-

brain

Overview of Cerebral Function:

https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/neurologic-disorders/function-
and-dysfunction-of-the-cerebral-lobes/overview-of-cerebral-function#v1033945

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