ABSTRACT
Vision is the ability to infer the attributes of objects in the visual scene from an analysis of the light patterns imaged in the eyes. This chapter reviews selected principles of visual system organization that are particularly relevant for obtaining and interpreting modern neuroimaging data in a clinical context. It discusses the application of these principles to the imaging of patients who suffer from focal brain pathology or who will undergo treatment that impacts central visual system function. There are both cortical and subcortical sites that are visually responsive and retinotopically organized. The chapter also provides practical recommendations concerning tasks and methods that can optimize imaging results and aid their interpretation in a clinical context. Imaging has also shown that directing attention to a particular type of visual feature (e.g., blue objects) produces appropriate modulation of the corresponding cortical representations throughout the visual field.
