Abstract
The threshold of the cockroach tactile neuron increases strongly with depolarization by a process involving at least two time constants. This effect is probably responsible for the rapid and complete adaptation of the neuron's response to step inputs. A technique for intracellular recording and stimulation of the neuron has recently been established and this allows direct observation of the dynamic response of the neuronal encoder. A white noise stimulus was used to modulate the membrane potential of the neuron. The first-order frequency response function between membrane potential and action potential discharge could be explained by a variable threshold model with two time constants. Second-order frequency response functions could be accounted for by a Wiener cascade model. The dynamic nonlinear behavior of the encoder can therefore be explained by a unidirectional threshold which increases linearly and dynamically with membrane potential.
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Stockbridge, L.L., Torkkeli, P.H. & French, A.S. Intracellular nonlinear frequency response measurements in the cockroach tactile spine neuron. Biol. Cybern. 65, 181–187 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00198089
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00198089