In the eyes (and brains) of the beholder

It’s common knowledge that an individual’s thoughts and emotions differ from one person to another, but it has long been assumed that perception of the visual world is usually similar from person to person.

The primary visual cortex—the area at the back of the brain responsible for processing what is seen—is known to differ in size by up to three times from one individual to the next.

Now, researchers at the Wellcome Trust Center for Neuroimaging at University College London have shown for the first time that the size of this area affects how individuals perceive their environment.