Final answer:
Cells in the visual areas V2 and MT respond to retinal disparity, which is the difference in the location of images on the two retinas due to the distance between the eyes. This process is fundamental for depth perception.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the visual areas V2 and MT of the brain, cells respond to the differences between the location of an image on the two retinas. This difference is known as retinal disparity and is a critical binocular depth cue that helps us perceive depth.
Since the centers of the eyes are set apart by a small distance, typically around 6 to 6.5 cm, identical stimuli do not fall on the same location on each retina, except when looking directly at them. Objects that are closer will produce images on the more lateral parts of the retinas, while more distant objects will project onto the more medial parts of the retinas. This disparity is processed by the visual cortex to allow us to perceive depth. The specialized cells in areas V2 and MT, part of the pathway that includes photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), extract this binocular depth information to generate a three-dimensional perception of the world.