Windows into the Visual Brain: New Discoveries about the Visual System, Its Functions, and Implications for Practitioners

摘要: Professionals who work with individuals are visually impaired (that is, those blind or have low vision) need to understand recent scientific developments related vision. Until the late 1800s, vision was attributed entirely eyes when it suggested that occipital lobes and together were responsible for seeing. In mid-1900s, proposed key regions in brain specific visual functions these close proximity main streams pathways originating from lobes. The introduction of investigative neurological tests during past decade has made apparent widespread neuronal networks, rather than centers brain, different functions. discovery role networks radically changed thinking about function brain. Regional (hubs) surrounded by a dense network short connections collect information highly specialized neurons on certain further connected higher-level hubs longer tracts (Shams & Kim, 2010). Therefore, locally generated many areas is integrated at anatomical regions, but even form synthesize types perceptual motor tasks. Clearly, vision, dominant sense, closely other sensory modalities; consequently, entire participates recently, came experiments animals, human lesions, histological biological analyses postmortem examinations, studies various clinical disorders. new techniques greatly improved understanding Simultaneously, researchers begun superspecialize, which increased information. For example, ophthalmologists able specialize retinal disorders, cataracts, glaucoma, testing, ocular genetics, neuro-ophthalmology. These fragmenting research, advances not filtering down fast enough practicing medical educational professionals provide care children adults disorders may feel bewildered deluge discoveries. purpose this article describe some newly discovered system, its functions, implications practitioners. Neurological tests: Windows into impairments should be partially familiar more commonly used tests. During 1930s, electroencephalography (EEG) introduced study electrical activity relate Environmental transduced orderly patterns activity, reflecting summation oscillatory frequencies among billions neurons. Neuronal groups transfer meaningful high-frequency oscillations, usually gamma-band range 30-50 one second. frequency oscillations interval they perceived essential. This type coordinated communication between multiple thalamus required cognition (Llinas Ribary, 1993; Llinas, Contreras, Pedroarena, 1998; Whittington, Cunningham, LeBeau, Racca, Traub, 2011) useful (Dobel, Junghofer, Gruber, 2011). Electrophysiology plays roles diagnosis (van Genderen et al., 2006). Magnetic encephalogram (MEG) based fact currents produced always accompanied magnetic fields. …