Functional Organization of Human Visual Cortex

As vision is one of the most important sensory modalities present in almost all animal species, the systematic exploration of the visual system has been a major target of neurobiological research in recent years. This research activity has led to increased understanding of the functional, anatomical and biochemical organisation of the primate visual system. This book gives a comprehensive overview of key discoveries relating to the human visual cortex, made possible by new methodologies, such as brain imaging techniques, which have enabled scientists to map the human visual cortex with respect to its functional organisation. Providing a platform for discussion of developments, uncertainties and future exploration in this multidisciplinary field, the book summarises our state-of-the-art knowledge, and gives impetus to comparative studies on the visual systems of humans and other primates.

Table of Contents:
Preface. List of contributors. Comparative Studies of the Primate Visual System: What the Monkey Brain Tells Us About the Human Brain. The organization of visual cortex in primates: problems, conclusions, and the use of comparative studies in understanding the human brain, J. H. Kaas. Control mechanisms of primate corticogenesis, C. Dehay & H. Kenned;. Probing the primate visual cortex: pathways and perspectives, D. C. Van Essen et al . Parallel pathways in the visual system, P. H. Schiller. Columnar organization in visual cortex in non-human primates and man, R. B. H. Tootell et al . Object identification and cortical organization, H. Barlow. Anatomy, Histology and Histochemistry of Human Visual Cortex. Gross anatomy and gyrification of the occipital cortex in human and non-human primates, R. Gebhard et al . Cyto- and myeloarchitecture of human visual cortex and the periodical GABA A receptor distribution, K. Zilles & A. Schlei;her. The geniculocalcarine pathway in man, and some putative rostral visual areas involved in visuo-spatial attention, J. Miklossy. Callosal connections and functional subdivision of the human occipital cortex, S. Clarke. Sequential development of intracortical processing channels in human visual cortex, A. Burkhalter. Cytochrome oxidase studies on the human visual system, M. T. T. Wong-Riley. Anatomical Lesions and Functional Deficits in Human Visual Cortex. Blindsight and perceptual consciousness: neuropsychological aspects of striate cortical function, P. Stoerig & A. Cowey.;Colour and face perception in man and monkey: the missing link, C. A. Heywood & A. Cowey.;On the cerebral organization of elementary visuo-spatial perception, D. Yves Von Cramon & G. Kerkho;f. The neuropsychology of mental imagery, M. J. Farah. Functional Mapping of Human Visual Cortex. Models of the visual cortex on the basis of psychophysical observations, J. Rovamo et al . Models of the visual cortex based on visual evoked potentials, N. Drasdo et al . Functional aspects of paracentral vision, I. Bodis-Wollner. Visually related activity in human temporal cortical neurons, G. A. Ojemann et al . Mapping of Visual Functions in Man with Positron Emission Tomography. The energy cost of neuronal depolarization, A. Gjedde. Neuroreceptor localization and quantification by emission computed tomography, J. J. Frost. Functional separation of colour and motion centres in human visual cortex, J. D. G. Watson et al . Dissociation of object and spatial visual processing pathways in human extrastriate cortex, J. V. Haxby et al . Cortical areas involved in stereovision, B. Gulyas & P. E. Rol;nd. The processing of faces in the cerebral cortex, J. Sergent. Visual cortices participating in visual memory and visual imagery (P.E. Roland, J. Decety). Subject index.