Ventral stream 715223 203291439 2008-04-04T14:21:43Z Shunju-kun 6329475 [[Image:Ventral-dorsal streams.svg|thumb|right|300px|The dorsal stream (green) and ventral stream (purple) are shown. They originate from a common source in visual cortex]] The primate visual system consists of about thirty areas of the [[cerebral cortex]] called the [[visual cortex]]. The visual cortex is divided into the '''ventral stream''' and the [[dorsal stream]]. The ventral stream is associated with object recognition and form representation. It has strong connections to the [[medial temporal lobe]] (which stores [[long-term memory|long-term memories]]), the [[limbic system]] (which controls emotions), and the [[dorsal stream]] (which deals with object locations and motion). From [[caudal]] to [[rostral]], the ventral stream consists of visual areas V1 ([[primary visual cortex]]), V2, V4, and the areas of the inferior [[temporal lobe]]: PIT (posterior inferotemporal), CIT (central inferotemporal), and AIT (anterior inferotemporal). Each visual area contains a full representation of visual space. That is, it contains [[neurons]] whose receptive fields together represent the entire visual field. Visual information enters the ventral stream through the [[primary visual cortex]] and travels through the rest of the areas in sequence. Moving along the stream from V1 to AIT, receptive fields increase their size, latency, and the complexity of their tuning. All the areas in the ventral stream are influenced by extraretinal factors in addition to the nature of the stimulus in their receptive field. These factors include [[attention]], [[working memory]], and stimulus [[salience]]. Thus the ventral stream does not merely provide a description of the elements in the visual world—it also plays a crucial role in judging the significance of these elements. [[Category:Cerebrum]] [[Category:Visual system]] [[hu:Mi-rendszer]] [[ja:腹側皮質視覚路]]