Newswise — Researchers are making great strides in using imaging techniques to explore the human brain and visual system. For the first time, the Journal of Vision (JOV) has opened a special issue dedicated to neuroimaging in vision science (http://journalofvision.org/8/10/), giving vision researchers of varied methodological persuasions access to a collection of high-quality imaging studies of visual processing.
JOV is a free-access, online-only publication produced by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Published monthly, the journal focuses on all aspects of visual function in humans and in other organisms.
The neuroimaging special edition opens with five articles, as well as links to two related articles published earlier. JOV will continue to publish articles on neuroimaging in vision science through the end of 2008 as they are ready for publication.
Andy Smith, PhD, of Royal Holloway, University of London is one of the four editors of JOV's neuroimaging issue (along with David Heeger, New York University; Geoff Boynton, University of Washington; and Anthony Norcia, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute).
Prof. Smith said: "The special issue reflects the confluence of two key trends in neuroscience. First, the sense systems (and particularly vision) are at the forefront of neuroscience research, because that is where the problem of understanding brain function is most tractable. Second, brain imaging is currently enabling spectacular progress in linking neurophysiological knowledge with behavioural research.
"We hope that the collection serves a useful scientific purpose in itself, but we also hope that it may stimulate an increase in the number of imaging submissions to JOV in the future."
"JOV's editors, reviewers and readers constitute the bulk of expertise in this field," added Prof. Norcia. "Now that the technical details of many of these techniques have been brought to a high level, the focus should now properly be on what the data obtained from these increasingly mature technologies have to say specifically about vision and more generally about brain function."
ARVO is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include more than 12,500 eye and vision researchers from over 73 countries. The Association encourages and assists research, training, publication and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. For more information, visit http://www.arvo.org.
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