Cerebral Cortex: Focus on Occipital Lobe

Boundaries of the Occipital Lobe

Occipital-Parietal Boundary: Marked by the parietal occipital sulcus.
Occipital-Temporal Boundary: Defined using the preoccipital notch and an imaginary line extending to the tip of the lateral sulcus.

**Primary Visual Cortex (Green Area) (
- Located at the most posterior region of the occipital lobe.
- Function: Conscious awareness of visual stimuli.
Visual Association Cortex (Blue Area)
- Located anterior to the primary visual cortex.
- Function: Processes visual stimuli to apply meaning, understanding, and recognition.**

Pathway to the Primary Visual Cortex
- Visual stimuli > Retina > Optic nerve > Optic chiasma > Lateral geniculate nucleus (Thalamus) > Occipital lobe > Primary visual cortex.
- Function of Primary Visual Cortex: Conscious awareness of visual stimuli (e.g., seeing an image but not recognizing it yet).
Pathway to and Function of the Visual Association Cortex
- Primary visual cortex > Visual association cortex.
- Visual Association Cortex Functions:
  - Analyzing visual attributes such as color, size, and movement.
  - Comparing current visual stimuli with past memories.
  - Recognizing visual stimuli (e.g., recognizing the image as a basketball).

Visual Agnosia: Condition where one can see an object but cannot recognize it, due to damage in the visual association cortex.

Discussed the boundaries and structures of the occipital lobe.
Explored the roles of the primary visual cortex and visual association cortex.
Explained the process of visual recognition and the consequences of lesions in the visual association cortex.