The top pair of the two pair of bump on the posterior surface of the midbrain. Plays a role in vision, perhaps a part of the role vision plays in orienting us to the world, and eye movements.
The superior colliculus (Latin, higher hill) is a paired structure that is part of the brain's tectal area. The two superior colliculi sit below the thalamus and surround the pineal gland in the mesencephalon of vertebrate brains. It comprises the rostral aspect of the midbrain, posterior to the periaqueductal gray and adjacent superior the inferior colliculus.