The primary and secondary cortical regions responsible for processing visual information. Located in the occipital lobe, it interprets basic visual inputs and builds complex visual representations. ## Connected Regions - [[Posterior Parietal Cortex]] - [[Prefrontal Cortex]] - [[Inferior Temporal Cortex]] - [[Dorsal Attention Network]] ## Functions - **Primary Visual Cortex (V1)**: initial processing of edges, orientation, and motion - **Secondary Visual Areas (V2–V5)**: shape recognition, color [[perception]], depth, and motion processing - Integrates visual information for [[perception]] and action - Communicates with [[Attention]] and executive networks to filter relevant stimuli ## Subregions - **V1 (Striate Cortex)**: basic visual feature detection - **V2 & V3**: orientation, contours, binocular vision - **V4**: color and form processing - **V5/MT**: motion detection ## Clinical Notes - Damage to V1: **cortical blindness** - Lesions in higher areas: **visual agnosia** (inability to recognize objects) or **motion blindness** (akinetopsia) - Involved in **[[Ventral Attention Network (VAN)]]** and **predictive coding** models of [[perception]]