Abstract
-
1.
Extracellular recordings from wide-field nonhabituating non-directional (ND) motion detecting neurons in the second optic chiasma of the locust Locusta migratoria are presented. The responses to various types of stepwise moving spot and bar stimuli were monitored (Fig. 1)
-
2.
Stepwise motion in all directions elicited bursts of spikes. The response is inhibited at stimulus velocities above 5°/s. At velocities above 10°/s the ND neurons are slightly more sensitive to motion in the horizontal direction than to motion in the vertical direction (Fig. 2). The ND cells have a preference for small moving stimuli (Fig. 3).
-
3.
The motion response has two peaks. The latency of the second peak depends on stimulus size and stimulus velocity. Increasing the height from 0.1 to 23.5° of a 5°/s moving bar results in a lowering of this latency time from 176 to 130 ms (Fig. 4). When the velocity from a single 0.1° spot is increased from 1 to 16°/s, the latency decreases from 282 to 180 ms (Figs. 5–6).
-
4.
A change-of-direction sensitivity is displayed. Stepwise motion in one particular direction produces a continuous burst of spike discharges. Reversal or change in direction leads to an inhibition of the response (Fig. 7).
-
5.
It shows that non-directional motion perception of the wide-field ND cells can simply be explained by combining self-and lateral inhibition.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- PSTH:
-
post stimulus time histogram
- DS:
-
cell, directionally selective motion detecting cell
- ND:
-
cell, non-directional motion detecting cell
- H1:
-
directionally selective motion detecting neuron in the blowfly
- LGMD:
-
lobula giant movement detector in the locust
- DCMD:
-
descending contralateral movement detector inthe locust
- Ri :
-
intensity response
- Rfbt, Rbtf, Rup, Rdown :
-
motion response when moving a stimulus from front-to-back, back-to-front, upwards and downwards over the eye
- Rm1, Rm2 :
-
first and second response peak after stimulus motion
References
Barlow HB, Levick WR (1965) The mechanism of directionally selective units in the rabbit's retina. J Physiol (Lond) 178:477–504
Buchner E (1984) Behavioural analysis of spatial vision in insects. In: Ali MA (ed) Photoreception and vision in invertebrates. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 561–622
Bult R, Schuling FH, Mastebroek HAK (1989) Response behaviour of elementary movement detectors in the visual system of the blowfly. In: Naresh Singh R, Strausfeld NJ(eds) Neurobiology of sensory systems. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 107–122
Burrows M, Rowell CHF (1973) Connections between descending interneurons and methathoracic motoneurons in the locust. J Comp Physiol 85:221–234
DeVoe RD, Ockleford EM (1976) Intracellular responses from cells in the medulla of the fly, Calliphora erythrocephala. Biol Cybern 23:13–24
Gilbert C, Penisten DK, DeVoe RD (1991) Discrimination of visual motion from flicker by identified neurons in the medulla of the fleshfly Sarcophaga bullata. J Comp Physiol A 168:653–673
Hausen K (1984) The lobula-complex of the fly: Structure, function and significance in visual behaviour. In: Ali MA (ed) Photoreception and vision in invertebrates. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 523–559
Hausen K, Wehrhahn C (1983) Microsurgical lesion of horizontal cells changes optomotor yaw responses in the blowfly Calliphora erythrocephala. Proc R Soc London B 219:211–216
Hensler K (1988) The pars intercerebralis neurone P1(2) of locusts: convergent processing of inputs reporting head movements and deviations from straight flight. J Exp Biol 140:511–533
Horridge GA (1978) The separation of visual axes in apposition compound eyes. Phil Trans R Soc (Lond) B 285:1–59
Kien J (1974a) Sensory integration in the locust optomotor system. I: Behavioural analysis. Vision Res 14:1245–1254
Kien J (1974b) Sensory integration in the locust optomotor system. II: Direction selective neurons in the circumoesophageal connectives and the optic lobe. Vision Res 14:1255–1268
Mastebroek HAK, Zaagman WH, Lenting BPM (1982) Memorylike effects in fly vision: Spatio-temporal interactions in a widefield neuron. Biol Cybern 43:147–155
Möhl B, Bacon J (1983) The tritocerebral commissure giant (TCG) wind-sensitive interneurone in the locust. II. Directional sensitivity and role in flight stabilisation. J Comp Physiol 150:453–464
Northrup RB (1974) Information processing in the insect compound eye. In: Horridge GA (ed) The compound eye and vision of insects. Oxford, Clarendon Press, pp 379–409
O'Shea M, Williams JLD (1974) The anatomy and output connection of a locust visual interneurone; the lobular giant movement detector (LGMD) neurone. J Comp Physiol 91:257–266
O'Shea M, Rowell CHF (1975) Protection from habituation by lateral inhibition. Nature 254:53–55
Osorio D (1987) Temporal and spatial properties of non-linear, transient cells in the medulla of the locust. J Comp Physiol A 161:431–440
Osorio D (1991) Mechanisms of early visual processing in the medulla of the locust optic lobe: How self-inhibition, spatial pooling, and signal rectification contribute to the properties of transient cells. Visual Neurosci 7:345–355
Poggio T, Koch C (1987) Synapses that compute motion. Sci Am 255:46–52
Rind FC (1987) Non-directional movement sensitive neurons of the locust optic lobe. J Comp Physiol A 161:477–494
Rind FC (1990a) A directionally selective motion-detecting neurone in the brain of the locust: physiological and morphological characterization. J Exp Biol 149:1–19
Rind FC (1990b) Identification of directionally selective motion-detecting neurons in the locust lobula and their synaptic connections with an identified descending neurone. J Exp Biol 149:21–43
Rowell CHF (1971) The orthopteran descending movement detector (DMD) neurons: a characterisation and review. Z Vergl Physiol 73:167–194
Rowell CHF, Reichert H (1986) Three descending interneurons reporting deviation from course in the locust. II. Physiology. J Comp Physiol A 158:775–794
Rowell CHF, O'Shea M, Williams JLD (1977) The neuronal basis of a sensory analyzer, the acridid movement detector system. IV. The preference for small field stimuli. J Exp Biol 68:157–185
Ruyter van Steveninck RR de, Zaagman WH, Mastebroek HAK (1986) Adaptation of transient responses of a movement-sensitive neuron in the visual system of the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala. Biol Cybern 54:223–236
Schuling FH, Vorenkamp B, Zaagman WH (1989a) Microprocessor-controlled vector scan display system for generation of realtime visual stimuli. Med Biol Eng Comput 27:246–253
Schuling FH, Mastebroek HAK, Bult R, Lenting BPM (1989b) Properties of elementary movement detectors in the fly Calliphora erythrocephala. J Comp Physiol A 165:179–192
Swihart SL (1968) Single-unit activity in the visual pathway of the butterfly, Heliconius erato. J Insect Physiol 14:1589–1601
Zaagman WH (1977) Some characteristics of the neural activity of directionally selective movement detectors in the visual system of the blowfly. Thesis, University of Groningen
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bult, R., Mastebroek, H.A.K. Response characteristics of wide-field non-habituating non-directional motion detecting neurons in the optic lobe of the locust, Locusta migratoria . J Comp Physiol A 174, 723–729 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192721
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192721