BrainWaves #117 Top-down visual processing: From photoreceptors to grandmother neurons

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021. Originally released: August 2, 2018 How visual information transforms from pixels into people is more complex than dots becoming lines, lines becoming shapes, and shapes becoming faces. Your brain makes assumptions about all kinds of sensory information--even without you knowing it. Dr. Geoffrey Aguirre, a neuroscientist who specializes in vision processing, explains how we know what we can't really explain. Produced by James E Siegler and Geoff Aguirre. Music by Cullah, Jon Watts, Lovira, Loyalty Freak Music, and Scott Holmes. Sound effects by Mike Koenig, Daniel Simion. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making. REFERENCES Psalta L, Young AW, Thompson P, Andrews TJ. The Thatcher illusion reveals orientation dependence in brain regions involved in processing facial expressions. Psychol Sci 2014;25(1):128-36. PMID 24264941Thompson P. Margaret Thatcher: a new illusion. Perception 1980;9(4):483-4. PMID 6999452 We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.