David H. Hubel, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981: Nobel Lecture

Our vision works by the light around us being captured by a large number of light-sensitive cells located in the retinas at the back of our eyes. The light is converted into signals that are sent to the brain and there converted into visual impressions. David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel clarified how this process works during the 1960s: In the cerebral cortex signals are analyzed in sequence by cells with the specific tasks of interpreting contrasts, patterns, and movements. They also showed that this ability develops in children during the initial period after birth. Prize motivation: “for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system.“ David H. Hubel held his Nobel Lecture on 8 December 1981, at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. He was presented by Professor David Ottoson, Member of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine. More information: