Thinking, Sensing & Behaving
Aging
Brain Development
Childhood & Adolescence
Diet & Lifestyle
Emotions, Stress & Anxiety
Hearing
Language
Learning & Memory
Movement
Pain
Sleep
Smell
Taste
Thinking & Awareness
Touch
Vision
See All
Diseases & Disorders
Addiction
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Cancer
Childhood Disorders
Epilepsy
Immune System Disorders
Injury
Mental Health
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neurological Disorders A-Z
Therapies
See All
Brain Anatomy & Function
Anatomy
Body Systems
Cells & Circuits
Evolution
Genes & Molecules
See All
Neuroscience in Society
The Arts & the Brain
Law, Economics & Ethics
Neuroscience in the News
Supporting Research
Tech & the Brain
See All
In the Lab
Animals in Research
BRAIN Initiative
Meet the Researcher
Neuro-technologies
Tools & Techniques
See All
Explore
3D Brain
Core Concepts
For Educators
Ask an Expert
Glossary
The Brain Facts Book
About Us
MyAccount
For Educators
Log in
Thinking, Sensing & Behaving
Aging
Brain Development
Childhood & Adolescence
Diet & Lifestyle
Emotions, Stress & Anxiety
Hearing
Language
Learning & Memory
Movement
Pain
Sleep
Smell
Taste
Thinking & Awareness
Touch
Vision
See All
Diseases & Disorders
Addiction
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Cancer
Childhood Disorders
Epilepsy
Immune System Disorders
Injury
Mental Health
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neurological Disorders A-Z
Therapies
See All
Brain Anatomy & Function
Anatomy
Body Systems
Cells & Circuits
Evolution
Genes & Molecules
See All
Neuroscience in Society
The Arts & the Brain
Law, Economics & Ethics
Neuroscience in the News
Supporting Research
Tech & the Brain
See All
In the Lab
Animals in Research
BRAIN Initiative
Meet the Researcher
Neuro-technologies
Tools & Techniques
See All
Explore
Filter
Topic
Addiction
(
54
)
Gambling
(
1
)
Aging
(
45
)
Cognitive Decline
(
13
)
Healthy Aging
(
8
)
Alcohol
(
17
)
Alzheimers Disease
(
42
)
Anatomy
(
259
)
Amygdala
(
11
)
Auditory Cortex
(
3
)
Basal Ganglia
(
5
)
Brainstem
(
6
)
Cerebellum
(
12
)
Corpus Callosum
(
3
)
Cranial Nerves
(
9
)
Frontal Lobe
(
8
)
Hippocampus
(
18
)
Hypothalamus
(
7
)
Insula
(
1
)
Limbic System
(
4
)
Meninges
(
1
)
Nucleus Accumbens
(
2
)
Occipital Lobe
(
5
)
Olfactory Bulb
(
5
)
Parietal Lobe
(
3
)
Pituitary Gland
(
1
)
Prefrontal Cortex
(
6
)
Somatosensory Cortex
(
7
)
Spinal Cord
(
12
)
Temporal Lobe
(
6
)
Thalamus
(
4
)
Vagus Nerve
(
5
)
Ventricles
(
1
)
Visual Cortex
(
6
)
Animals In Research
(
186
)
Cats
(
1
)
Fish and Reptiles
(
19
)
Invertebrates
(
24
)
Primates
(
5
)
Rodents
(
20
)
Anxiety Disorders
(
17
)
Artificial Intelligence
(
1
)
Body Systems
(
98
)
Cardiovascular
(
8
)
Digestion
(
6
)
Endocrine
(
3
)
Immune System
(
23
)
Microbiome
(
9
)
Musculoskeletal System
(
7
)
Reproduction
(
12
)
Brain Development
(
111
)
Developmental Disorders
(
1
)
Neurogenesis
(
9
)
Stem Cells
(
8
)
Cancer
(
10
)
Glioma
(
3
)
Cells and Circuits
(
387
)
Circuits
(
30
)
Glia
(
15
)
Myelin
(
9
)
Neurons
(
108
)
Synapses
(
35
)
Childhood and Adolescence
(
75
)
Teen Brain
(
26
)
Childhood Disorders
(
52
)
ADHD
(
10
)
Asperger Syndrome
(
1
)
Autism
(
17
)
Rett Syndrome
(
1
)
Tourette Syndrome
(
2
)
COVID-19
(
21
)
Critical Periods
(
10
)
Dementia
(
11
)
Diet and Lifestyle
(
128
)
Caffeine
(
5
)
Diet
(
25
)
Environment
(
9
)
Obesity
(
3
)
Social Behavior
(
26
)
Sugar
(
8
)
Drugs
(
51
)
Dyslexia
(
2
)
Eating Disorders
(
3
)
Emotions Stress and Anxiety
(
146
)
Anger
(
4
)
Emotions
(
31
)
Fear
(
26
)
Love
(
9
)
Stress
(
40
)
Epilepsy
(
21
)
Evolution
(
43
)
Exercise
(
16
)
Gaming
(
4
)
Genes and Molecules
(
72
)
Dopamine
(
8
)
Epigenetics
(
6
)
Neurotransmitters
(
7
)
Oxytocin
(
3
)
Serotonin
(
3
)
Genetics
(
21
)
Hearing
(
59
)
Deafness
(
9
)
Hormones
(
13
)
Immune System Disorders
(
18
)
HIV AIDS
(
1
)
Multiple Sclerosis
(
7
)
Injury
(
74
)
Spinal Cord Injury
(
7
)
Stroke
(
13
)
Traumatic Brain Injury
(
30
)
Language
(
54
)
Reading
(
3
)
Speech
(
12
)
Speech and Language Disorders
(
12
)
Writing
(
2
)
Law Economics and Ethics
(
79
)
Economics
(
4
)
Education
(
14
)
Ethics
(
20
)
Law
(
15
)
Morality
(
3
)
Public Health
(
35
)
Learning and Memory
(
184
)
Amnesia
(
4
)
Memory
(
46
)
Learning Disorders
(
5
)
Marijuana
(
11
)
Meet the Researcher
(
92
)
Mental Health
(
153
)
Bipolar Disorder
(
4
)
Depression
(
34
)
OCD
(
4
)
Phobias
(
3
)
PTSD
(
10
)
Schizophrenia
(
13
)
Mood
(
11
)
Movement
(
98
)
Balance
(
2
)
Movement Disorders
(
10
)
Paralysis
(
4
)
Proprioception
(
4
)
Reflexes
(
5
)
Neurodegenerative Disorders
(
78
)
ALS
(
4
)
Huntingtons Disease
(
5
)
Parkinsons Disease
(
18
)
Neuroscience in the News
(
69
)
Nicotine
(
5
)
Opioids
(
11
)
Pain
(
55
)
Migraine
(
9
)
Plasticity
(
17
)
Pregnancy
(
8
)
Recent Discoveries
(
18
)
Sleep
(
67
)
Circadian Rhythms
(
11
)
Dreams
(
9
)
Sleep Disorders
(
5
)
Smell
(
44
)
Anosmia
(
3
)
Supporting Research
(
80
)
BRAIN Initiative
(
18
)
Funding
(
29
)
Policy
(
7
)
Taste
(
49
)
Taxonomy
(
3
)
Topics
(
3
)
Tech and the Brain
(
52
)
Internet
(
2
)
Screen Time
(
6
)
The Arts and the Brain
(
42
)
Art
(
17
)
Creativity
(
16
)
Dance
(
4
)
Music
(
20
)
Therapies
(
81
)
Brain Machine Interface
(
11
)
Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
(
4
)
Deep Brain Stimulation
(
2
)
Neuroprosthetics
(
8
)
Physical Therapies
(
1
)
Thinking and Awareness
(
183
)
Attention
(
24
)
Consciousness
(
12
)
Decision Making
(
22
)
Imagination
(
8
)
Perception
(
29
)
Tools and Techniques
(
155
)
Behavior
(
3
)
Brain-Machine Interface
(
1
)
Case Studies
(
19
)
Cell Culture
(
1
)
Computational Neuroscience
(
7
)
Electrical Recording
(
6
)
Imaging
(
48
)
MRI
(
5
)
Neuro-technologies
(
1
)
Optogenetics
(
5
)
Touch
(
54
)
Itch
(
3
)
Vision
(
155
)
Blindness
(
5
)
Illusions
(
23
)
Vision Disorders
(
5
)
Content Type
Activity
(
1
)
Article
(
5
)
Image
(
1
)
Interactive
(
2
)
Video
(
13
)
Series
Ask an Expert
(
2
)
Blog
(
3
)
Brain Awareness Video Contest
(
2
)
For Educators
(
9
)
For the Classroom
(
9
)
Image of the Week
(
1
)
Roundup
(
1
)
Grade Level
Pre K - Grade 2
(
2
)
Grades 3 - 5
(
2
)
Grades 6 - 8
(
2
)
Grades 9 - 12
(
16
)
All ages
(
1
)
Core Concept
How Your Brain Processes Information
(
9
)
Your Complex Brain
(
9
)
The Source of Curiosity
(
5
)
How Neurons Communicate
(
2
)
Reasoning Planning and Problem Solving
(
1
)
Your selections:
Vision > Illusions
What Color is Distress?
Social media has been on fire with a debate – not over ISIS, healthcare or global warming – but over the perceived color of a dress.
Vision and Illusion
How accurately do your eyes see the world?
BrainFacts/SfN
3 min
Mark Changizi: Why Do We See Illusions?
Why can’t our extremely complex eyes render simple optical illusions? Surprise, surprise — it comes back to the brain, which has only evolved to encounter natural stimuli.
TED
Why Do We See Illusions?
Mark Changizi explains how the brain reckons with optical illusions in this TED talk.
TED
Spooky Science: Make a Ghostly Illusion
You won't believe your eyes in this spooktacular illusion.
Scientific American
Neuroscience Meets Magic
What can magic tricks tell us about the brain?
Scientific American
Depth Perception and the Hollow Face Illusion
The Hollow Face Illusion is spooky. The photo is of a flat sheet of plastic with a facial mask pushed in one side. In this case it’s the face of Albert Einstein*.
Expanding my Mind
I can still vividly recall the head of my Perception professor in college blowing up right in front of the class.
BrainFacts/SfN
What are hallucinations?
Hallucinations emerge when inner thoughts and expectations overpower sensory experience.
BrainFacts/SfN
Snakes on a Brain
Does this brain appear to be rotating? Rapid, involuntary eye movements paired with sharp contrast patterns in an image may cause the brain to perceive motion where there is none.
BrainFacts/SfN
See All You Can See
An interactive website about the eye. Learn about the parts of the eye and eye safety, and try out some optical illusions.
National Eye Institute
First
Previous
1
2