Abstract
An experimental study has been performed on neuronal mechanisms of sensitivity of cat visual neurons (lateral geniculate body) to the value and orientation of the vector of brightness gradient in a test stimulus. With changes of the value and orientation of the brightness gradient vector, there exists an optimal (preferred) orientation of the gradient vector, at which the neuronal response is maximal. The sensitivity of neurons to the brightness gradient at shifts of the gradient vector towards the preferred orientation increases not due to an increased excitation in neuronal reactions, but due to a reduction of reciprocal (on- and off-) inhibition, affecting this neuron, of adjacent neurons in neuronal pools. The reciprocal inhibitory interaction of on- and off-systems is enhanced by inhibiting the response of the antagonistic neuron at shifts of the brightness gradient vector in the stimulus from the preferred to the non-preferred orientation. This reciprocal inhibitory interaction is clearly seen in pairs of on- and off-neurons with superposed receptive fields (RF) at their simultaneous analysis of on- and off-responses at a change of the orientation of the brightness gradient vector by 180 degrees. Dependencies of the parameters (duration and intensity of inhibitory phases in responses) of reciprocal inhibitory interaction on orientation of the brightness gradient vector in RF of neurons are determined. Dependencies of responses of the total sample of neurons, which are plotted for on- and off-neurons, to their adequate and inadequate (on- and off-) stimuli on the orientation of the brightness gradient vector are inversely proportional.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Jankovska, E., Jukes, M., Lund, S., and Lundberg, A., The Effect of DOPA on the Spinal Cord. 5. Reciprocal Organization of Pathways Transmitting Excitatory Action to Alpha Motoneurones of Flexors and Extensors, Acta Physiol. Scand.1967, vol. 70, pp. 369–388.
Grundy, D., Gastrointestinal Motility: the Integration of Physiological Mechanisms.Lancaster, 1985.
Granit, R., Elektrofiziologicheskoye issledovanie retseptsii(Electrophysiological Investigation of Reception), Moscow, 1957.
Baldissera, F., Hultborn, H., and Illert, M., Integration in Spinal Neuronal Systems, Handbook of Physiology, The Nervous System, Motor ControlBrooks, V., Ed., Bethesda, MD: Am. Physiol. Soc., 1982, pp. 509–595.
Hartline, H.K., Excitation and Inhibition of the “Off”-Response in Vertebrate Eye Optic Nerve Fibers, Proc. Am. Physiol. Soc., Am., Fm., J. Physiol.1940, vol. 126, p. 527.
Hartline, H.K., Wagner, H.G., and Rattlif, F., Inhibition in the Eye of Limulus, J. Exp. Psychol.1974, vol. 103, pp. 317–325.
Rattlif, F., Mach Band: Quantitative Studies on Neural Networks in the RetinaSan Francisco; London: Holden-day, Inc., 1965.
Singer, W. and Creutzfeldt, O.D., Reciprocal Lateral Inhibition of On-and Off-Center Neurons in the Lateral Geniculate Body of the Cat, Exp. Brain Res.1970, vol. 10, pp. 311–330.
Singer, W., Pöppel, E., and Creutzfeldt, O.D., Inhibitory Interaction in the Catís Lateral Geniculate Neurons, Exp. Brain Res.1976, vol. 14, pp. 210–226.
Podvigin, N.F., Dinamicheskie svoistva neironnykh struktur zritel'noi systemy(Dynamic Properties of Neuronal Structures of the Visual System), Leningrad, 1979.
Podvigin, N.F., Kuperman, A.M., Svetlova, V.Ya., and Novikov, G.I., On Convergence of Excitatory Connections of Retina On-and Off-Ganglionic Cells with LGB Neurons, Fiziol. Zh. SSSR im. I.M. Sechenova1980, vol. 66, pp. 672–679.
Shevelev, I.A., Dinamika zritel'nogo sensornogo signala(Dynamics of Visual Sensory Signal), Moscow, 1971.
Heggelung, P., Direction Asymmetry by Moving Stimuli and Static Receptive Field Plots for Simple Cells in Cat Striate Cortex, Vision Res.1984, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 13–16.
Duysens, J., Is Directional Selectivity of Cat Area 17 Cells Always Independent of Contrast and Dependent on Short-Distance Interactions?, Exp. Brain Res.1987, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 663–666.
Watanabe, S. and Murakami, M., Synaptic Mechanisms of Directional Selectivity in Ganglion Cells of Frog Retina as Revealed by Intracellular Recordings, Jap. J. Physiol.1984, vol. 34, pp. 497–511.
Podvigin, N.F., Glezer, V.D., Kuperman, A.M., and Chueva, I.V., Change with Time of the RF Summation Zone in Catís LGB under Its Illumination: Role of Excitation and Inhibition in This Process, Biofizika1973, vol. 18, pp. 535–545.
Dinse, H.R., Kruger, K., Mallton, N.A., and Best, J., Temporal Structure of Cortical Information Processing: Cortical Architecture, Oscillations and Non-Separability of Spatio-Temporal Receptive Field Organization, Neuronal CooperativityKruger, J., Ed., Berlin: Springer, 1991.
Podvigin, N.F., Kiseleva, N.B., Novikov, G.I., and Chizh, A.N., On the Ability of Neurons of Cat's Visual Cortex to Evaluate Spatial Gradient of Brightness, Dokl. RAN1997, vol. 352, pp. 557–559.
Bishop, P.O., Kozak, W., Levick, W.R., and Vakkur, G.J., The Determination of the Projection of the Visual Geniculate Nucleus in the Cat, J. Physiol.1962, vol. 163, pp. 503–539.
Kiseleva, N.B., Podvigin, N.F., Vershinina, E.A., Pöppel, E., Novikov, G.I., Kozlov, I.V., and Granstrem, M.P., Temporal Characteristics of Reactions of Cat's Lateral Geniculate Body Neurons Sensitive to Direction of the Brightness Gradient Vector, Sensornye Sistemy2000, vol. 14, pp. 38–47.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Podvigin, N.F., Spasskaya, T.A., Kiseleva, N.B. et al. Reciprocal Interaction of On- and Off-Systems as a Mechanism of Sensitivity of Visual Neurons to The Orientation of the Vector of the Brightness Gradient in Cats. Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology 39, 562–569 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOEY.0000015964.25543.51
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOEY.0000015964.25543.51