Scientists Discover IC–Encoder Neurons that Shape Visual Perception

Scientists discover IC–encoder neurons that shape visual perception

An illusion is when we see and perceive an object that doesn't match the sensory input that reaches our eyes. In the case of the image below, the sensory input is four Pac Man–like black figures.

Scientists Hack Brain Perception With Lasers, Creating Optical Illusions

Your brain does more than record what your eyes see. It fills in the gaps, using past experiences to make sense of incomplete information. The post Scientists Hack Brain Perception With Lasers, Creating Optical Illusions appeared first on Study Finds.

Scientists shoot lasers into brain cells to uncover how illusions work

An illusion is when we see and perceive an object that doesn't match the sensory input that reaches our eyes. In the case of the image below, the sensory input is four Pac Man–like black figures. But what we see or perceive is a white square—i.e., the illusion.

Visual Cortex Illusion Circuits Mapped with Two-Photon Holography

Every illusion has a backstage crew. New research shows the brain’s own “puppet strings”—special neurons that quietly tug our perception—help us see edges and shapes that don’t actually exist. When four black “Pac-Man” shapes suggest a glowing white square (known as the Kanizsa square), nothing square lands on the retina. Yet we swear we see crisp edges. A study, titled “Recurrent pattern completion drives the neocortical representation of senso…

Illusion-Making Neurons Show How the Brain Constructs Reality

Scientists have discovered specialized IC-encoder neurons that make the brain “see” illusions, such as squares or triangles that aren’t truly there. These neurons receive top-down instructions from higher brain areas and then fill in missing contours in the visual cortex, actively constructing what we perceive.