Receptive-field properties of transcallosal visual cortical neurons in the normal and reeler mouse

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 838-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Simmons ◽  
A. L. Pearlman
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Unit Recording ◽  
Stimulus Velocity ◽  
Bipolar Electrodes ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Normal Cortex

The receptive-field properties of neurons in the striate visual cortex of normal and reeler mutant mice were studied with single-unit recording methods in order to determine whether the connections underlying these properties are altered by the developmental abnormality in neuronal position that characterizes reeler neocortex. Neurons with a projection through the corpus callosum were selected for study because they form a physiologically identifiable class of visual cortical neurons with a characteristic distribution of receptive-field properties that can be compared for normal and reeler cortex. Transcallosal cortical neurons in area 17 near its border with area 18a were identified by antidromic stimulation delivered through bipolar electrodes in the contralateral cortex. A computer controlled the visual stimuli, data acquisition, and analysis. Transcallosal neurons were principally found in layers II-III and V in the normal cortex and in a broand band deep in the reeler cortex. These populations had similar distributions of antidromic latencies, indicating that the neurons sampled from normal and reeler cortex were taken from populations with similar axonal diameters and soma sizes. The receptive-field properties of 46 units in 22 normal mice and 28 units in 11 reeler mice were characterized. Transcallosal neurons in both normal and reeler cortex were usually binocularly responsive and dominated by input from the contralateral eye. They exhibited either nonoriented (31 and 48%, respectively) or oriented (69 and 52%) receptive fields. Tuning 10 stimulus velocity was broad, with peak velocity sensitivities ranging from 1 to 1,000 degrees/s. Directional selectivity was present in 41% of normal units ad 32% of reeler units. There was no significant difference between normal and reeler cortex in the distribution of these properties. Transcallosal neurons were also examined for the presence of an inhibitory surround by comparing their responses to moving or stationary stimuli of varying sizes. Of the tested neurons, most (11/17 in normal cortex, 6/9 in reeler) showed evidence of a decrease in response to large moving stimuli. A large proportion (16/20) of normal neurons tested with stationary flashing stimuli had some degree of surround inhibition whereas significantly fewer (5/17) neurons in reeler cortex had this property. Thus, transcallosal neurons in reeler cortex less frequently had an inhibitory surround demonstrable with stationary flashing stimuli, but this difference between normal and reeler was not apparent with a moving stimulus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Responses of Primate Visual Cortical V4 Neurons to Simultaneously Presented Stimuli

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 1128-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Gawne ◽  
Julie M. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Receptive Field ◽  
Firing Rate ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Clear Relationship ◽  
Substantial Fraction ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Direct Support ◽  
V4 Neurons ◽  
Visual Cortical

We report here results from 45 primate V4 visual cortical neurons to the preattentive presentations of seven different patterns located in two separate areas of the same receptive field and to combinations of the patterns in the two locations. For many neurons, we could not determine any clear relationship for the responses to two simultaneous stimuli. However, for a substantial fraction of the neurons we found that the firing rate was well modeled as the maximum firing rate of each stimulus presented separately. It has previously been proposed that taking the maximum of the inputs (“MAX” operator) could be a useful operation for neurons in visual cortex, although there has until now been little direct physiological evidence for this hypothesis. Our results here provide direct support for the hypothesis that the MAX operator plays a significant (although certainly not exclusive) role in generating the receptive field properties of visual cortical neurons.

Effects of visual cortical lesions on receptive-field properties of single units in superior colliculus of the rabbit

1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Graham ◽  
N. Berman ◽  
E. H. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Superior Colliculus ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Single Units ◽  
Stimulus Velocity ◽  
Response Characteristics ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Stroboscopic Illumination

1. One hundred seventy-nine single units were studied in the superior colliculus of seven Dutch-belted rabbits following ablation of the ipsilateral visual cortex. The response characteristics of these units were compared with those of 284 single units recorded from the superior colliculus of 20 intact animals. 2. In both the upper and lower parts of the stratum griseum superficiale and in the stratum griseum intermediate, there were smaller proportions of direction-selective visual units in the decorticated animals than in normal ones. 3. In the upper stratum griseum superficiale, a larger proportion of units responded to stroboscopic illumination in the decorticated animals than in normal ones. Also, in the decorticated animals, there was a larger proportion of units whose responses to a small moving stimulus were inhibited by the simultaneous presentation of stroboscopic illumination. 4. In both the upper and lower parts of the stratum griseum superficiale, a larger proportion of visual units responded well to stationary stimuli and a smaller proportion of visual units showed habituation in decorticated animals compared to normal ones. 5. In the lower stratum griseum superficiale, the receptive fields of units were larger and were more elongated in the anterior-posterior dimension in the decorticated animals than in normal ones. 6. In the two preparations, units did not differ in responsiveness or spontaneous activity; and visual units did not differ in the sustained or transient nature of their responses, the selectivity for light or dark stimuli, the selectivity for onset or offset of the stimuli, or the selectivity for stimulus velocity. 7. This study provides evidence for the importance of the visual corticotectal projection in the elaboration of the visual receptive-field properties of units in the superior colliculus of the rabbit. In addition, this study shows that the subdivisions of the superior colliculus are differentially affected by the loss of the visual corticotectal projection.

scholarly journals FSRFNet: Feature-Selective and Spatial Receptive Fields Networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (19) ◽  
pp. 3954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma ◽  
Yang ◽  
Yu
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Network Architecture ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Neuroscience Community ◽  
Architectural Unit

The attention mechanism plays a crucial role in the human visual experience. In the cognitive neuroscience community, the receptive field size of visual cortical neurons is regulated by the additive effect of feature-selective and spatial attention. We propose a novel architectural unit called a “Feature-selective and Spatial Receptive Fields” (FSRF) block that implements adaptive receptive field sizes of neurons through the additive effects of feature-selective and spatial attention. We show that FSRF blocks can be inserted into the architecture of existing convolutional neural networks to form an FSRF network architecture, and test its generalization capabilities on different datasets.

Suppression of Hindlimb Inputs to S-I Forelimb-Stump Representation of Rats With Neonatal Forelimb Removal: GABA Receptor Blockade and Single-Cell Responses

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 3377-3387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey S. Stojic ◽  
Richard D. Lane ◽  
Herbert P. Killackey ◽  
Robert W. Rhoades
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Gaba Receptors ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Gaba Receptor ◽  
Single Unit ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Receptor Blockade ◽  
Unit Recording ◽  
Cell Responses ◽  
Single Cell Responses

Neonatal forelimb removal in rats results in the development of inappropriate hindlimb inputs in the forelimb-stump representation of primary somatosensory cortex (S-I) that are revealed when GABAA and GABAB receptor activity are blocked. Experiments carried out to date have not made clear what information is being suppressed at the level of individual neurons. In this study, three potential ways in which GABA-mediated inhibition could suppress hindlimb expression in the S-I stump representation were evaluated: silencing S-I neurons with dual stump and hindlimb receptive fields, silencing neurons with receptive fields restricted to the hindlimb alone, and/or selective silencing of hindlimb inputs to neurons that normally express a stump receptive field only. These possibilities were tested using single-unit recording techniques to evaluate the receptive fields of S-I forelimb-stump neurons before, during, and after blockade of GABA receptors with bicuculline methiodide (for GABAA) and saclofen (for GABAB). Recordings were also made from normal rats for comparison. Of 92 neurons recorded from the S-I stump representation of neonatally amputated rats, only 2.2% had receptive fields that included the hindlimb prior to GABA receptor blockade. During GABA receptor blockade, 54.3% of these cells became responsive to the hindlimb, and in all but two cases, these same neurons also expressed a stump receptive field. Most of these cells (82.0%) expressed only stump receptive fields prior to GABA receptor blockade. In 71 neurons recorded from normal rats, only 5 became responsive to the hindlimb during GABA receptor blockade. GABA receptor blockade of cortical neurons, in both normal and neonatally amputated rats, resulted in significant enlargements of receptive fields as well as the emergence of receptive fields for neurons that were normally unresponsive. GABA receptor blockade also resulted in increases in both the spontaneous activity and response magnitudes of these neurons. These data support the conclusion that GABA mechanisms generally act to specifically suppress hindlimb inputs to S-I forelimb-stump neurons that normally express a receptive field on the forelimb stump only.

scholarly journals Cortical Maps

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 604-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Bednar ◽  
Stuart P. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Lateral Interaction ◽  
Cortical Maps ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cortical Regions

In this article, we review functional organization in sensory cortical regions—how the cortex represents the world. We consider four interrelated aspects of cortical organization: (1) the set of receptive fields of individual cortical sensory neurons, (2) how lateral interaction between cortical neurons reflects the similarity of their receptive fields, (3) the spatial distribution of receptive-field properties across the horizontal extent of the cortical tissue, and (4) how the spatial distributions of different receptive-field properties interact with one another. We show how these data are generally well explained by the theory of input-driven self-organization, with a family of computational models of cortical maps offering a parsimonious account for a wide range of map-related phenomena. We then discuss important challenges to this explanation, with respect to the maps present at birth, maps present under activity blockade, the limits of adult plasticity, and the lack of some maps in rodents. Because there is not at present another credible general theory for cortical map development, we conclude by proposing key experiments to help uncover other mechanisms that might also be operating during map development.

Receptive-field properties and neuronal connectivity in striate and parastriate cortex of contour-deprived cats

1976 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Singer ◽  
F. Tretter
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Receptive Field ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Direction Selectivity ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Area 18 ◽  
Efferent Connections ◽  
Receptive Field Properties ◽  
Areas 17 And 18

An attempt was made to relate the alterations of cortical receptive fields as they result from binocular visual deprivation to changes in afferent, intrinsic, and efferent connections of the striate and parastriate cortex. The experiments were performed in cats aged at least 1 jr with their eyelids sutured closed from birth.The results of the receptive-field analysis in A17 confirmed the reduction of light-responsive cells, the occasional incongruity of receptive-field properties in the two eyes, and to some extent also the loss of orientation and direction selectivity as reported previously. Other properties common to numerous deprived receptive fields were the lack of sharp inhibitory sidebands and the sometimes exceedingly large size of the receptive fields. Qualitatively as well as quantitatively, similar alterations were observed in area 18. A rather high percentage of cells in both areas had, however, preserved at least some orientation preference, and a few receptive fields had tuning properties comparable to those in normal cats. The ability of area 18 cells in normal cats to respond to much higher stimulus velocities than area 17 cells was not influenced by deprivation.The results obtained with electrical stimulation suggest two main deprivation effects: 1) A marked decrease in the safety factor of retinothalamic and thalamocortical transmission. 2) A clear decrease in efficiency of intracortical inhibition. But the electrical stimulation data also show that none of the basic principles of afferent, intrinsic, and efferent connectivity is lost or changed by deprivation. The conduction velocities in the subcortical afferents and the differentiation of the afferents to areas 17 and 18 into slow- and fast-conducting projection systems remain unaltered. Intrinsic excitatory connections remain functional; this is also true for the disynaptic inhibitory pathways activated preferentially by the fast-conducting thalamocortical projection. The laminar distribution of cells with monosynaptic versus polsynaptic excitatory connections is similar to that in normal cats. Neurons with corticofugal axons remain functionally connected and show the same connectivity pattern as those in normal cats. The nonspecific activation system from the mesencephalic reticular formation also remains functioning both at the thalamic and the cortical level.We conclude from these and several other observations that most, if not all, afferent, intrinsic, and efferent connections of areas 17 and 18 are specified from birth and depend only little on visual experience. This predetermined structural plan, however, allows for some freedom in the domain of orientation tuning, binocular correspondence, and retinotopy which is specified only when visual experience is possible.

Two-dimensional receptive-field organization in striate cortical neurons of the cat

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Sun ◽  
A. B. Bonds
Keyword(s):  
Receptive Field ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Ocular Dominance ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Cortical Layers ◽  
Field Organization ◽  
Receptive Field Organization ◽  
Cortical Receptive Fields

AbstractThe two-dimensional organization of receptive fields (RFs) of 44 cells in the cat visual cortex and four cells from the cat LGN was measured by stimulation with either dots or bars of light. The light bars were presented in different positions and orientations centered on the RFs. The RFs found were arbitrarily divided into four general types: Punctate, resembling DOG filters (11%); those resembling Gabor filters (9%); elongate (36%); and multipeaked-type (44%). Elongate RFs, usually found in simple cells, could show more than one excitatory band or bifurcation of excitatory regions. Although regions inhibitory to a given stimulus transition (e.g. ON) often coincided with regions excitatory to the opposite transition (e.g. OFF), this was by no means the rule. Measurements were highly repeatable and stable over periods of at least 1 h. A comparison between measurements made with dots and with bars showed reasonable matches in about 40% of the cases. In general, bar-based measurements revealed larger RFs with more structure, especially with respect to inhibitory regions. Inactivation of lower cortical layers (V-VI) by local GABA injection was found to reduce sharpness of detail and to increase both receptive-field size and noise in upper layer cells, suggesting vertically organized RF mechanisms. Across the population, some cells bore close resemblance to theoretically proposed filters, while others had a complexity that was clearly not generalizable, to the extent that they seemed more suited to detection of specific structures. We would speculate that the broadly varying forms of cat cortical receptive fields result from developmental processes akin to those that form ocular-dominance columns, but on a smaller scale.

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