Which brain area near the occipital lobe has been shown to become active when motion stimuli are perceived, and when the direction of an object's movement is accurately detected?

The middle temporal visual area (MT or V5) is the brain area near the occipital lobe that has been shown to become active when motion stimuli are perceived, and when the direction of an object's movement is accurately detected. The middle temporal visual area is an area of extrastriate visual cortex and it is connected to a large collection of cortical and subcortical brain regions. This area is composed of high concentration of direction-selective motion stimuli which play important roles in the perception, integration of motion and in the control of some eye movements.

The middle temporal visual area has been shown to become active when motion stimuli are perceived, and when the direction of an object’s movement is accurately detected.

Further information:

Middle temporal visual area:

The middle temporal visual area or MT or V5 is a region of the extra striate visual cortex. In many species, the MT area comprises a high deliberation of direction-selective neurons. The MT in primates is supposed to play a major part in the perception of motion, the incorporation of local motion signals into global percepts, and the guidance of some eye movement.

Function of MT:

Electro-physiological properties of neurons in MT showed that a large portion of cells are tuned to the speed and direction of moving visual stimuli.

Functional organization:

•Middle temporal visual area was allows to be organized in direction columns.

•Middle temporal neurons were also structured based on their tuning for binocular inequality.

Answer details:

Subject: Biology

Level: High school

Keywords:  

•Middle temporal visual area

•Visual cortex

•Part of brain

•Function of MT

•Functional organization of MT

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