The brain functions as the epicenter of the nervous system, similar to the way in which the nervous system acts as the command center of the body. The brain is believed to be the most complex organ in the entire body; with the cerebral cortex being the largest system of the brain. The cerebral cortex contains billions of neurons and the neurons are regulated by synapses which are responsible for communication between other neurons. The communication process of neurons is facilitated by the axon or axon fibers which relay signals or action potentials to the parts of the brain and body, generating either a motor or sensory response and in most cases both. A primary role that the brain serves is translating sensory information into bodily …show more content…
functions when sensory neurons react to sensory stimuli and communicate across the brain and spinal cord. The sensory systems have unique receptor cells, which process information without our bodies being fully aware of the processing. To gain a better understanding of receptor cells and their influence on the brain, it’s best to explore them in depth. In this instance, exploring the photoreceptors which generate a response to light and control vision will help to explain how one’s vision is processed by the brain. The retina is made up of light-sensitive layers of tissue, which are housed in the inner part of the eye. The eye works to create an image of what is seen through communication between the cornea and lens back to the retina. Light energy generates a sensory response; when light strikes the retina, the energy is then converted into a neural message which the brain processes as an image of what the individual is seeing. When it comes to vision, light energy is created in the form of wavelengths, they are either short waves or long waves and the level of intensity produces the color the eye recognizes. The visual information that is produced passes through the thalamus, which is then transmitted to the cerebral cortex and relayed to the visual cortex which is situated in the occipital lobe. Each hemisphere of the brain contains its own visual cortex; the right visual cortex processes signals which are received from the left side and the left visual cortex processes signals which are received from the right side. Visual stimulus is generated by the neural layers of the eye; these neural layers are brain tissues which fuse with the eye during the course of fetal development. The neural layers are responsible for transmitting electrical impulses and analyzing sensory information. As previously mentioned, photoreceptors are responsible for processing sensory stimuli which translates into vision functions. The photoreceptor cells of the retina are made up of rods and cones, which process visual information and relay the visual signals through the ganglion cells and ganglion axons of the optic nerve. Light must pass through the ganglion cells at the front of the retina before reaching the photoreceptors in the back of the retina. The bipolar cells in the middle of the retina are responsible for collecting neural signals from the rods and cones and transmitting them to the outermost layer of the retina. At this point, the retinal ganglion cells organize the signals and send them to the brain. The visual fields of both the right and left side communicate to its corresponding visual cortex within the occipital lobe; also known as the visual processing center of the brain. The ganglion axons which shape the optic nerve run along the visual area of the thalamus and transmit electrical signals to the visual cortex; however the primary communication center of visual information received from the retina is known as the lateral geniculate nucleus. The lateral geniculate nucleus processes the synapses of the ganglion cells and directs the electrical signals to the primary visual cortex, and vice versa. Just as each hemisphere of the brain has its own visual cortex, each of them contains its own lateral geniculate nucleus for processing visual information. Visual information processing consists of parallel processing, recognition, scene, retinal processing, and feature detecting.
Parallel processing is the ability of the brain to carry out two simultaneous operations involving different stimuli. When it comes to vision, parallel processing results in the brain breaking down visual information into four areas: color, motion, shape, and depth. These areas are analyzed by the brain and the information is combined to form what an individual sees and understands. Recognition is the process by which the brain constructs the image and compares the image to stored memories and fully understands what is being viewed. Scene refers to the brains understanding of the surrounding environment and stimuli. Retinal processing is the communication of the photoreceptors with the bipolar cells, which connect with the ganglion cells and ganglion axons. The ganglion axons help form the optic nerve and carry information from the retina to the brain. Feature detecting is the process by which neurons known as feature detectors respond to visual stimuli in the surround environment, including lines and edges. These functions combine to shape how the brain responds and processes visual stimuli; both input and
output. Throughout the course of visual processing, photoreceptors and the visual cortex are shaping the perception of what the eye is seeing, through form perception and motion perception. Form perception is the ability of an individual to visually perceive objects in the surrounding environment as a response to light stimulus which strikes the retina and this forms either a two-dimensional or three-dimensional visual representation of an object. The Gesalt Theory of form perception is that perception occurs from the brain analyzing the entire object, rather than the sum of its parts. Along with form perception, motion perception also helps shape what the eye is seeing. Motion perception is the process by which a visual input is analyzed to recognize the speed and direction of objects within the surrounding environment. The combination of both form perception and motion perception explains the way in which the brain works to perceive and understand all forms of visual stimulus.
The ultimate goal for a system of visual perception is representing visual scenes. It is generally assumed that this requires an initial ‘break-down’ of complex visual stimuli into some kind of “discrete subunits” (De Valois & De Valois, 1980, p.316) which can then be passed on and further processed by the brain. The task thus arises of identifying these subunits as well as the means by which the visual system interprets and processes sensory input. An approach to visual scene analysis that prevailed for many years was that of individual cortical cells being ‘feature detectors’ with particular response-criteria. Though not self-proclaimed, Hubel and Wiesel’s theory of a hierarchical visual system employs a form of such feature detectors. I will here discuss: the origins of the feature detection theory; Hubel and Wiesel’s hierarchical theory of visual perception; criticism of the hierarchical nature of the theory; an alternative theory of receptive-field cells as spatial frequency detectors; and the possibility of reconciling these two theories with reference to parallel processing.
In the movie Run Lola Run, a lot of editing concepts were use more than once. One of them that I specifically notice was parallel editing. For example when Lola leaves her father’s work empty handed, she begins to run to meet Mani. As time begin to run out you see three different shots on the screen of Mani, Lola and the ticking clock. You can hear the ticking clock as Lola ask Mani to wait for her. Although they’re together on the screen, they are apart by a few seconds. You can see that when Lola gets close to the supermarket and you see a long shot of Mani. Another concept was the graphic match at the end of the first timeline. When the red bag was falling in the air, to Lola red phone falling. Also there were a lot of eye line match. For
Another speaker, Margaret Livingstone delves into the visual aspect of our senses. Livingstone mentions how artists recognize things about vision that neuroscientists are not privy to until years later. Livingstone discussed the differentiation between color and lightness, and how the two contribute differently to a work of art. Color is thought of as “comparing activity” whereas light is thought of as “summing them.” Livingstone indicates that the visual system is subdivided into a ventral system and a dorsal system. The ventral system is responsible for object recognition, face recognition, and color. The dorsal system is responsible for navigating through the environment, special organization, and emotional recognition. The ability for humans to see distance and depth is carried via our colorblind part of our visual system. As a result, Livingstone concludes that one cannot see depth and shading unless the luminance is right to convey three-dimensional.
The nervous system controls both voluntary action (like conscious movement) and involuntary actions (like breathing) and sends signals to different parts of the body. The central nervous system includes the brain, spinal cord, sensory organs, and all of the nerves that connect these organs to the rest of the body. Together, these organs are responsible for the control of the body and communication among its parts. The brain and spinal cord form the control center, also known as the central nervous system, where information is
Our five senses –sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch help the ways in which we perceive the world around us. And while they seem to work independently at time they can effect each other and the way we comprehend something. Seeing something pretty, touching something soft, eating something cold and smelling something rotten are the sense we use to connect with the world around us and will all effect how we move forward in that situation. When you look at the top picture say the color of the word not the word itself. It is harder than it seems and takes a little practice to do it efficiently. It is because we see the spelling we were taught not the color it was written in. It is hard to process it the other way, but not impossible. Take the bottom picture for another example is this a
The central nervous system is covered in bone to protect the brain and the spinal cord which are both necessary for most functions in the body. The brain is necessary for thought processes and is the beginning of any body movement and interprets signals from the peripheral nervous system. The spinal cord allows those signals to reach the
Sajda P. & Finkle, L.H. (1995) Intermediate Visual Representations and the Construction of Surface Perception. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 7, 267-291.
Almost all animals have a nervous system. Neurons bundle together to form nerves. The purpose of the nervous system is to coordinate all activities of the body, and enables the body to respond and adapt to changes both inside and outside. The central nervous and the peripheral nervous systems are very similar but different at the same time. The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord and functions mainly to process information and determine the appropriate responses. The central nervous system receives sensory information, figures out a response, and initiates a motor response if appropriate. The CNS is protected by the skull, vertebral column, and a membrane. The spinal cord provides communication between the brain and the peripheral nerves
The human brain weighs approximately three pounds and contains approximately 100 billion neurons (Farmer, 2009, p. 21). The brainstem is the oldest part of the brain and it controls important functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and our fundamental emotions such as happiness or sadness. It also sends and receives information from the spinal cord. Above the brainstem is the thalamus, which connects to the higher cortical regions of the brain. It manages sensations such as touch. The hippocampus surrounds the thalamus and it manages spatial working memory, learning, and emotion. The cerebellum is located at the back of the brain is responsible for movement and cognitive and emotional functions. The outer region of the brain is the cerebral cortex and is divided i...
The brain consists of both neurons and glia cells. The neurons, which are cells housed in a cell body called a Soma, have branches which extend from them, referred to as dendrites. From these dendrites extend axons which send and receive impulses, ending at junction points called synapses. It is at these synapse points that the transfer of information takes place.
The brain is the control center of the human body. It sends and receives millions of signals every second, day and night, in the form of hormones, nerve impulses, and chemical messengers. This exchange of information makes us move, eat, sleep, and think.
Visual perception and visual sensation are both interactive processes, although there is a significant difference between the two processes. Sensation is defined as the stimulation of sense organs Visual sensation is a physiological process which means that it is the same for everyone. We absorb energy such as electro magnetic energy (light) or sound waves by sensory organs such as eyes. This energy is then transduced into electro chemical energy by the cones and rods (receptor cells) in the retina. There are four main stages of sensation. Sensation involves detection of stimuli incoming from the surrounding world, registering of the stimulus by the receptor cells, transduction or changing of the stimulus energy to an electric nerve impulse, and then finally the transmission of that electrical impulse into the brain. Our brain then perceives what the information is. Hence perception is defined as the selection, organisation and interpretation of that sensory input.
The nervous system’s main function is to coordinate all of the activities in the body. The main organs are the cerebellum, which controls and coordinates movement. The cerebrum, is the center for conscious thought, learning, and memory. The last main organ is the brain stem. The brain stem keeps the automatic systems in your body working. Problems of the nervous system include, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and multiple sclerosis. You can care for your nervous system by wearing a seatbelt, wearing a helmet, and by not using drugs or alcohol. Something very confusing about the nervous system is that the left side of human brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body!
One sub-system under the sensory system is the visual system; the main sense organs of this are the eyes. The eye is the sensory organ that allows us to detect light from external stimuli. When a light ray is detected, the eye converts these rays into electrical signals that can be sent to the brain in order to process the information and giv...
A processor is the chip inside a computer which carries out of the functions of the computer at various speeds. There are many processors on the market today. The two most well known companies that make processors are Intel and AMD. Intel produces the Pentium chip, with the most recent version of the Pentium chip being the Pentium 3. Intel also produces the Celeron processor (Intel processors). AMD produces the Athlon processor and the Duron processor (AMD presents).