Chapter 9 (p. 287-316, 319-322)

Question 1

Receptive field

Answer 1

Region of sensory space (e.g., skin surface) in which a stimulus modifies a receptor’s activity

Question 2

Topographic map

Answer 2

Spatially organized neural representation of the external world

Question 3

Sensation

Answer 3

Registration by the sensory organs of physical stimuli from the environment

Question 4

Perception

Answer 4

Subjective interpretation of sensations by the brain

Question 5

Retina

Answer 5

Light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye consisting of neurons and photoreceptor cells

Question 6

Photoreceptor

Answer 6

Specialized retinal neuron that transduces light into neural activity

Question 7

Fovea

Answer 7

Central region of the retina specialized for high visual acuity; its receptive fields are at the center of the eye’s visual field

Question 8

Blind spot

Answer 8

Retinal region where axons forming the optic nerve neave the eye and where blood vessels enter and leave; has no photoreceptors and is thus said to be blind

Question 9

Rod

Answer 9

Photoreceptor specialized for functioning at low light levels

Question 10

Cone

Answer 10

Photoreceptor specialized for color and high visual acuity

Question 11

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC)

Answer 11

One of a group of retinal neurons with axons that give rise to the optic nerve

Question 12

Magnocellular (M) cell

Answer 12

Large visual system neuron sensitive to moving stimuli

Question 13

Parvocellular (P) cell

Answer 13

Small visual system neuron sensitive to differences in form and color

Question 14

Optic chiasm

Answer 14

Junction of the optic nerves, one from each eye, at which the axons from the nasal halves of the retinas cross to the brain’s opposite side

Question 15

Geniculostriate system

Answer 15

Projections from the retina to the lateral geniculate nucleus to the visual cortex

Question 16

Striate (striped) cortex

Answer 16

Primary visual cortex (V1) in the occipital lobe; shows stripes (striations) on staining

Question 17

Tectopulvinar system

Answer 17

Projections from the retina to the superior colliculus to the pulvinar (thalamus) to the parietal and temporal visual areas

Question 18

Retinohypothalamic tract

Answer 18

Neural route formed by axons of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs) from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus; allows light to entrain the suprachiasmatic nucleus’s rhythmic activity

Question 18

Ventral stream

Answer 18

Visual processing pathway from region V1 to the temporal lobe for object identification and perceiving related movements

Question 19

Dorsal stream

Answer 19

Visual processing pathway from region V1 to the parietal lobe; guides movements relative to objects

Question 20

Cortical column

Answer 20

Anatomic organization that represents a functional unit six cortical layers deep and approximately 0.5 mm square, perpendicular to the cortical surface

Question 21

Primary visual cortex (V1)

Answer 21

Striate cortex in the occipital lobe that receives input from the lateral geniculate nucleus

Question 22

Extrastriate (secondary visual) cortex (V2-V5)

Answer 22

Visual cortical areas in the occipital lobe outside the striate complex

Question 23

Blob

Answer 23

Region in area V1 that contains color-sensitive neurons, as revealed by staining for cytochrome oxidase

Question 24

Facial agnosia

Answer 24

Face blindness; the inability to recognize faces. Also called prosopagnosia

Question 25

Visual field

Answer 25

Region of the visual world seen by the eyes

Question 26

Luminance contrast

Answer 26

Amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings

Question 27

Ocular dominance column

Answer 27

Functional column in the visual cortex that is maximally responsive to information coming from one eye

Question 28

Trichromatic theory

Answer 28

Explanation of color vision based on the coding of three primary colors: red, green, and blue

Question 29

Homonymous hemianopia

Answer 29

Blindness of the entire left or right visual field

Question 30

Quadrantanopia

Answer 30

Blindness of one quadrant of the visual field

Question 31

Scotoma

Answer 31

Small blind spot in the visual field caused by migraine or by a small lesion of the visual cortex

Question 32

Visual-form agnosia

Answer 32

Inability to recognize objects or drawings of objects

Question 33

Optic ataxia

Answer 33

Deficit in the visual control of reaching and other movements