A new study led by scientists at
the Universities of York and Bradford has identified the two areas of the brain
responsible for our perception of orientation and shape. Using sophisticated
imaging equipment at York Neuroimaging Centre (YNiC), the research found that
the two neighbouring areas of the cortex -- each about the size of a 5p coin
and known as human visual field maps -- process the different types of visual information
independently. The scientists, from the Department of Psychology at York and
the Bradford School of Optometry & Vision Science established how the two
areas worked by subjecting them to magnetic fields for a short period which
disrupted their normal brain activity.
The research represents an
important step forward in understanding how the brain processes visual
information. Attention now switches to a further four areas of the
extra-striate cortex which are also responsible for visual function but whose
specific individual roles are unknown. Researchers used functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) equipment at YNiC to pinpoint the two brain areas, which
they subsequently targeted with magnetic fields that temporarily disrupt neural
activity. They found that one area had a specialised and causal role in
processing orientation while neural activity in the other underpinned the
processing of shape defined by differences in curvature.
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