Rd
Banich & Compton (2011) Cognitive Neuroscience, 3 Ed. Wadsworth Cengage.
nd
Jamie Ward (2010). Student’s Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 2 Ed. Psychology Press
nd
M Gazzaniga, R Ivry & G Mangun (2002) Cognitive Neuroscience 2 Ed. Norton
The dorsal visual system for spatial processing
• many key components of the dorsal stream are located in the parietal cortex
• The anterior parietal lobe (also known as the postcentral gyrus) is concerned
primarily with somatosensory representations, and is not considered part of the dorsal
stream proper
• the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is multi-sensory and is crucial in many aspects of
spatial cognition. researchers often distinguish between the superior parietal lobule
and the inferior parietal lobule, which are separated by the intraparietal sulcus.
• The dorsal stream receives visual information from the primary visual cortex, but it
also receives input from the somatosensory cortex in the anterior parietal lobe and
from the vestibular system
• both of which provide information about the position of the body in space.
• The parietal regions of the dorsal stream are also closely connected with frontal lobe
regions that control the body’s movement
• Unlike cells in the ventral processing stream, cells in parietal areas are not particularly
sensitive to form or color, making them ill suited for detecting the visual properties
from which shape can be derived
• Cells in the posterior parietal cortex are most responsive to attributes of visual
information that are useful for processing spatial relations.
• anatomical and cellular features of the dorsal stream indicate that it is well suited for
spatial processing
Coding for the three dimensions of space
Distinguishing left from right
• it is trickier to distinguish left from right than to distinguish up from down, the other
dimension coded on the retina.
• Developmentally, children often confuse left and right long after they have a clear
understanding of up and down.
Banich & Compton (2011) Cognitive Neuroscience, 3 Ed. Wadsworth Cengage.
nd
Jamie Ward (2010). Student’s Guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 2 Ed. Psychology Press
nd
M Gazzaniga, R Ivry & G Mangun (2002) Cognitive Neuroscience 2 Ed. Norton
The dorsal visual system for spatial processing
• many key components of the dorsal stream are located in the parietal cortex
• The anterior parietal lobe (also known as the postcentral gyrus) is concerned
primarily with somatosensory representations, and is not considered part of the dorsal
stream proper
• the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is multi-sensory and is crucial in many aspects of
spatial cognition. researchers often distinguish between the superior parietal lobule
and the inferior parietal lobule, which are separated by the intraparietal sulcus.
• The dorsal stream receives visual information from the primary visual cortex, but it
also receives input from the somatosensory cortex in the anterior parietal lobe and
from the vestibular system
• both of which provide information about the position of the body in space.
• The parietal regions of the dorsal stream are also closely connected with frontal lobe
regions that control the body’s movement
• Unlike cells in the ventral processing stream, cells in parietal areas are not particularly
sensitive to form or color, making them ill suited for detecting the visual properties
from which shape can be derived
• Cells in the posterior parietal cortex are most responsive to attributes of visual
information that are useful for processing spatial relations.
• anatomical and cellular features of the dorsal stream indicate that it is well suited for
spatial processing
Coding for the three dimensions of space
Distinguishing left from right
• it is trickier to distinguish left from right than to distinguish up from down, the other
dimension coded on the retina.
• Developmentally, children often confuse left and right long after they have a clear
understanding of up and down.
