Sensory Processing and Visual Pathways

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to sensory processing, particularly focusing on the structures and processes of the eye, as well as visual pathways in the brain.

Accessory structure

A structure that modifies the stimulus before sensory processing.

Transduction

The process of converting a stimulus into neural signal.

Contralateral representation

The phenomenon where information from one side of the body is processed in the opposite hemisphere of the brain.

Topographical representations

Maps in the sensory cortex that represent spatial relationships of stimuli.

Photoreceptors

Cells in the retina (rods and cones) that respond to light.

Fovea

The central point in the retina where visual acuity is highest.

Ganglion cells

Neurons in the retina that receive signals from photoreceptors and transmit them to the brain.

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN)

A relay center in the thalamus for the visual pathway.

Dorsal stream

The visual pathway involved in processing spatial relationships (where/how the objects are located).

Ventral stream

The visual pathway involved in object recognition (what the objects are).

Agnosia

A disorder affecting the ability to recognize objects, typically caused by brain damage.

Prosopagnosia

The inability to recognize faces, often due to damage in the fusiform gyrus.

Visual Cortex

The part of the brain that processes visual information from the eyes.

Blindsight

The phenomenon where individuals can respond to visual stimuli even without conscious visual perception.

Receptive Fields

The specific area of the retina that influences the activity of ganglion cells.

Color coding

The process by which different wavelengths of light are translated into color perception.

Relative absorbance

A measure of how much light is absorbed by photoreceptors at different wavelengths.