Visual perception is not homogeneous throughout the visual field. Performance is generally better along the horizontal meridian compared to the vertical meridian, and in the lower compared to the upper visual field. These asymmetries in visual performance are reflected in structural asymmetries in early visual cortex. When exploring a visual scene, eye movements occur continuously, with visual perception resulting from a tight...

Image content is prioritized in the visual system. Faces are a paradigmatic example, receiving preferential processing along the visual pathway compared to other visual stimuli. Moreover, face prioritization manifests also in behavior. People tend to look at faces more frequently and for longer periods, and saccadic reaction times can be faster when targeting a face as opposed to a phase-scrambled control. However, it is curre...

Positive blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses (PBR), as measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), are the most utilized measurements to non-invasively map activity in the brain. Recent studies have consistently shown that BOLD responses are not exclusively positive. Negative BOLD responses (NBR) have been reported in response to specific sensory stimulations and tasks. However, the exact relations...

Advancements in ultra-high field (7 T and higher) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners have made it possible to investigate both the structure and function of the human brain at a sub-millimeter scale. As neuronal feedforward and feedback information arrives in different layers, sub-millimeter functional MRI has the potential to uncover information processing between cortical micro-circuits across cortical depth, i.e. lam...