When studying the plasticity of the human visual brain, neuroscientists have always emphasized the study of the receptive field properties of neurons. In a review and opinion paper in the journal “Neural Plasticity”, Joana Carvalho and co-authors argue there are … Continued

Visual hallucinations (VH) are conscious visual perceptions that occur in the absence of an external physical stimulus. Some patients may have VH that are so frequent or disturbing that they seek treatment for these. In this paper in the journal … Continued

In the ophthalmic disease glaucoma, the visual pathways from the eye to the brain get damaged, but why this happens is still debated. In a paper in the scientific journal “Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science (IOVS)”, Shereif Haykal and colleagues … Continued

Visual hallucinations are perceptions without a physical stimulus to relate the percept too. People who suffer from psychosis often experience visual hallucinations, but the properties of these hallucinations are not well known yet. Marouska van Ommen and co-authors published a … Continued

In games, hints can help you play a game faster or better. Also perception can use hints – often referred to as cues or “previews” – such that it becomes better.  But what aspect of these visual hints does our visual … Continued

What happens to the visual system of the brain if one hemisphere gets removed completely at a late (age 3) developmental stage? In a paper published in the journal “Neural Plasticity”, Hinke Halbertsma and co-authors revisited the visual field maps … Continued

Our eyes capture way more information than our brains can possibly process. To reduce this information stream, the visual brain performs two tricks: it can either summarize the information, or it can single out a small piece of it. But … Continued