When we see objects as a result of light, the eye sends an electric signal to to the brain whichs ends up in the visual cortex for processing. This is how we see geometric objects. But what about when we remember some visual experience? Or, what if start imagining geometric images? Does the visual cortex play any role at all in regards to visual memory or imagination?
Yes, the visual cortex is active when you remember a visual experience. The same goes for dreams. The visual cortex is active during REM sleep. However, I don't know if it works in the exact same way as directly seeing something, but that seems to be the case.
Well i don't know about dreams but i am thinking if it did work that way during eyes open awake it would interefere with regular intake of visual stimulus to be processed by the ocipital lobe. I would think so, yes......although i am not sure as to how.
Late night madness.. This is how I see it.. The vision system in the brain is comprised of layers.. The first layer just responds to light, then the next few layers (still in the eye) do stuff like contrast control, exposure. Each layer send signals forward (into the brain) and outward (out of the brain), each layer is also connected to signals coming from forward layers. After the several layers in the eye the signals split and move into the middle of the brain (Lateral geniculate nucleus) and into very primitive parts of the brain (superior colliculus). Superior colliculus. Controls primitive visual responses (Instinct) which has many input lines from the visual cortex. Things like eye movement, pupils are controlled here. Subconscious part of vision. Lateral geniculate nucleus Both eyes meet here for the first time in a processing capacity. Patterns, lines, circles, faces are roughly calculated here. Also apart from the forward and backward feed of vision a large number of input and output lines run from this node into the rest of the brain. I would guess this is the first place that the conscious can influence the vision system. Conscious info can still propagate backward to the eye from here. After that the visual signal already filtered by the brain, will enter the back of the brain. At this point the inter connectivity of the brain means we are not sure exactly what happens.WE know there are many layers in the visual cortex. It is thought this is where we recognize letters and words, faces get identify, adverts become product. Yet at the very first layer entering the visual cortex we encounter many incoming and outgoing paths from the rest of the brain. The subconscious/conscious has a very strong influence at this layer and gets stronger as we go deeper into the visual cortex (further away from the eye). Eventually the signal from the eye dissipates into the rest of the brain. So to a dream..The brain is a beautiful pattern recognition machine. Patterns are encoded via learnt responses (very simplified). Dreams start at very primitive areas of the brain (very old knowledge) and travels out. A person becomes a face via the information moving to the visual cortex which then propagate backward (to the eyes) and priming the eye to see faces. Then via forward propagation, random firings of neurons from the eye filtered through pattern filtering system then go about modifying the signal and providing a image that has behavior outside the normal expected response from very deep neurological levels (dream propagator). We see stuff because we are well prepared to identify something we are looking for, even in random noise.
