An interdisciplinary course on the Anatomy, Physiology and Psychophysics of Vision
Aims: The aim is to provide students with an understanding of the neurobiological basis of visual perception. Objectives: To provide students with core knowledge about the functional anatomy and physiology of the visual pathway from the retina to higher cortical areas and how this knowledge can be used to explain perceptual experience. To introduce students to a variety of methods of investigating visual neurobiology including psychophysics, single cell recording, brain imaging, and the experimental study of patients with brain damage.
Summary of Course Content: The course presents a multidisciplinary approach to vision. It will cover anatomical, physiological, genetic and psychological approaches, and will treat the neurobiology of vision as an integrated subject. The course will examine the physiology and anatomy of cells in the retina and central pathways, and show how cell properties underlie the spatio-temporal processing carried out by the visual system as revealed by psychophysical experimentation. The functions of higher visual cortical areas will be studied through lectures on cortical specialisation for the processing of motion and colour as indicated by data from anatomical, physiological and neuropsychology investigations.
Course Organiser:
Andrew
Stockman
Institute of Ophthalmology
London EC1V
9EL
Phone: 020 7608 6914
email: a.stockman@ucl.ac.uk
Course
Web site (here):
http://www.cvrl.org
or http://cvrl.ucl.ac.uk
Course lecturers:
Dr. Steve
Dakin (Ophthalmology), email: s.dakin@ucl.ac.uk
Prof. Mitch Glickstein (Anatomy), email: m.glickstein@ucl.ac.uk
Prof. Glen Jeffery (Ophthalmology), email: g.jeffery@ucl.ac.uk
Prof. Alan Johnston (Psychology), email: a.johnston@ucl.ac.uk
Prof. Tom
Salt (ophthalmology), email: t.salt@ucl.ac.uk
Dr. Stewart Shipp (Anatomy), email: s.shipp@ucl.ac.uk
Prof.
Andrew Stockman (Ophthalmology), email: a.stockman@ucl.ac.uk
Mr. Andrew
Webster (Moorfields Eye Hospital): email: andrew.webster@ucl.ac.uk
External
Examiner: Dr. Joshua Solomon (City University)
Tuesday
teaching in Seminar Room 3, Cruciform Foyer;
Friday teaching in Room 220, Foster Court.
Week 1
Tuesday 23rd Feb 2-3 1. Introduction to
the course (AS)
Tuesday 23rd Feb 3-4 2. Comparative
anatomy of the eye (MG)
Tuesday 23rd Feb 4-6 Demo 1. Optical
demonstrations (MG)
Friday 26th Feb 2-3 3. Phototransduction
and photopigments (AS)
Friday 26th Feb 3-4 4. Visual processing
in the outer retina (TS)
Friday 26th Feb 4-5 5. Visual processing in the inner retina (TS)
Week 2
Tuesday 2nd Mar 2-3 6. Development of the
visual system (GJ)
Tuesday 2nd Mar 3-5 Seminar 1. Retina seminar
(TS)
Friday 5th Mar 2-3 7. Visual psychophysics (AS)
Friday 5th Mar 3-4 8. Sensitivity regulation (AS)
Week 3
Tuesday 9th Mar 2-3 9. Colour vision (AS)
Tuesday 9th Mar 3-5 Demo 2. Colour vision
demonstrations (SS)
Friday 12th Mar 2-3 10. Central visual
pathways (MG)
Friday 12th Mar 3-5 Seminar 2. Colour & psychophysics
seminar (AS)
Friday 12th Mar Last
day to hand in essay.
Week 4
Tuesday 16th Mar 2-3 11. Visuo-motor pathways (MG)
Tuesday 16th Mar 3-4 12. Multiple Visual
Areas (SS)
Tuesday 16th Mar 4-5 13. Multiple visual
pathways (SS)
Friday 19th Mar 2-3 14. Spatial vision
(SD)
Friday 19th Mar 3-4 15. Depth perception/Visual
Illusions (AS)
Friday 19th Mar 4-5 16. Properties of
higher visual areas (SS)
Week 5
Tuesday 23rd Mar 2-3 17. Motion (AJ)
Tuesday 23rd Mar 3-5 Seminar 3. Higher cortical
processing seminar (SS)
Friday 26th Mar 2-3 18. Neuropsychology of
vision (AJ)
Friday 26th Mar 3-4 19. Diseases of the eye (AW)
N.B. Essays must be
handed in at the Teaching Office in the
Recommended text books for the course
The First Steps in Seeing by R.W Rodieck
Visual Perception: Physiology, Psychology and
Biology by Vicki
Bruce, Patrick Green and Mark Georgeson
Recommended
reference sources for the course
The Visual Neurosciences by Leo Chalupa and John Werner
Webvision at http://webvision.med.utah.edu/
Lecture notes and references
Course Assessment: