Visual Processes Get a Little More Complicated

As we just got finished discussing in class, our visual processes are rather complicated. The pathways that information from our visual sensors take in order for us to make sense of what we are seeing can take a bit of time to grasp. In order to turn our visual senses into cognitive recognitions, many different sections of the brain are involved and work together. Recently, scientists from Stanford University say that they have found indeed another visual processing pathway beginning in the occipital lobe of all of the brains that were examined.

The large bundle of fibers that were rediscovered was done so only by using an MRI. The fibers are now known as the vertical occipital fasciculus, however it took some time and research in order to figure out what exactly it was that the scientists were looking at. The answer to their question was found in an old atlas written by Carl Wernicke. Wernicke's findings of the vertical occipital fasciculus went against another neuroanatomist, Theodore Meynert, who stated that brain connections could only travel from the front of the brain to the back--not vertical. Although this created some confusion, these scientists were able to find what they were looking at in different atlases, just under several different names.

Using diffusion-weighted imaging they were able to view the length and locations of this visual pathway. It turns out that it connects the brain regions needed for seeing different objects and other regions that deal with focusing attention on a certain object. In general, it is believed that the vertical occipital fasciculus is involved in facial recognition and other perceptual processes.

I found this article interesting because it shows that although we have been doing research on the brain for centuries, there is still more to learn. Even though the VOF was seen a while ago, the rediscovery of it may bring about new information on how we see things because of the vast amount of technology we have today that we didn't have back then. It also makes you wonder how this pathway was forgotten in the first place or why it wasn't brought to attention earlier. Is it that important if it is just now being brought to light again? We may know a lot about the brain, however I believe that there is still a lot more to be learned.





http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141118091343.htm