Visual Input and Motor Output of Command Interneurons of the Defense Reflex Pathway in the Crayfish

Abstract

Visual systems hold a special fascination for a large number of neurophysiologists. This is due in part to the fact that the behavior of visual interneurons (INs) “more closely resembles perception than sensation” (Lettvin et al., 1959) and thus conveys the illusion that we are studying something that is very close to behavior. Some excellent illustrations of this point can be found in the studies of the optic nerve of the rock lobster by Wiersma and co-workers recently reviewed by York and Wiersma (1975).