|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
ARTICLE |
The inhibition that is exerted mutually among the receptor units (ommatidia) in the lateral eye of Limulus has been analyzed by recording oscillographically the discharge of nerve impulses in single optic nerve fibers. The discharges from two ommatidia were recorded simultaneously by connecting the bundles containing their optic nerve fibers to separate amplifiers and recording systems. Ommatidia were chosen that were separated by no more than a few millimeters in the eye; they were illuminated independently by separate optical systems.
The frequency of the maintained discharge of impulses from each of two ommatidia illuminated steadily is lower when both are illuminated together than when each is illuminated by itself. When only two ommatidia are illuminated, the magnitude of the inhibition of each one depends only on the degree of activity of the other; the activity of each, in turn, is the resultant of the excitation from its respective light stimulus and the inhibition exerted on it by the other.
When additional receptors are illuminated in the vicinity of an interacting pair too far from one ommatidium to affect it directly, but near enough to the second to inhibit it, the frequency of discharge of the first increases as it is partially released from the inhibition exerted on it by the second (disinhibition).
Disinhibition simulates facilitation; it is an example of indirect effects of interaction taking place over greater distances in the eye than are covered by direct inhibitory interconnections.
When only two interacting ommatidia are illuminated, the inhibition exerted on each (decrease of its frequency of discharge) is a linear function of the degree of activity (frequency of discharge) of the other. Below a certain frequency (often different for different receptors) no inhibition is exerted by a receptor. Above this threshold, the rate of increase of inhibition of one receptor with increasing frequency of discharge of the other is constant, and may be at least as high as 0.2 impulse inhibited in one receptor per impulse discharged by the other. For a given pair of interacting receptors, the inhibitory coefficients are not always the same in the two directions of action. The responses to steady illumination of two receptor units that inhibit each other mutually are described quantitatively by two simultaneous linear equations that express concisely all the features discussed above. These equations may be extended and their number supplemented to describe the responses of more than two interacting elements.
Submitted on July 30, 1956
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. Farell Orientation-Specific Computation in Stereoscopic Vision J. Neurosci., September 6, 2006; 26(36): 9098 - 9106. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Bligh A theoretical consideration of the means whereby the mammalian core temperature is defended at a null zone J Appl Physiol, April 1, 2006; 100(4): 1332 - 1337. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Y. Yu and Y. Choe A neural model of the scintillating grid illusion: disinhibition and self-inhibition in early vision. Neural Comput., March 1, 2006; 18(3): 521 - 544. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. L. Ringach Mapping receptive fields in primary visual cortex J. Physiol., August 1, 2004; 558(3): 717 - 728. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. W. Friedrich and G. Laurent Dynamics of Olfactory Bulb Input and Output Activity During Odor Stimulation in Zebrafish J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2004; 91(6): 2658 - 2669. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. F. Kabara and A. B. Bonds Modification of Response Functions of Cat Visual Cortical Cells by Spatially Congruent Perturbing Stimuli J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2001; 86(6): 2703 - 2714. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. B. Barlow, J. M. Hitt, and F. A. Dodge Limulus Vision in the Marine Environment Biol. Bull., April 1, 2001; 200(2): 169 - 176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. W. Friedrich and G. Laurent Dynamic Optimization of Odor Representations by Slow Temporal Patterning of Mitral Cell Activity Science, February 2, 2001; 291(5505): 889 - 894. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Laurent A Systems Perspective on Early Olfactory Coding Science, October 22, 1999; 286(5440): 723 - 728. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. L. Passaglia, F. A. Dodge, and R. B. Barlow Cell-Based Model of the Limulus Lateral Eye J Neurophysiol, October 1, 1998; 80(4): 1800 - 1815. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Passaglia, F. Dodge, E. Herzog, S. Jackson, and R. Barlow Deciphering a neural code for vision PNAS, November 11, 1997; 94(23): 12649 - 12654. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Mizrahi and F. Libersat Independent Coding of Wind Direction in Cockroach Giant Interneurons J Neurophysiol, November 1, 1997; 78(5): 2655 - 2661. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. F. Thompson, J. Sundberg, A. Friberg, and L. Fryden Rules for Expression in the Performance of Melodies Psychology of Music, April 1, 1989; 17(1): 63 - 82. [Abstract]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. P. C. DUMONT and R. M. ROBERTSON Neuronal Circuits: An Evolutionary Perspective Science, August 22, 1986; 233(4766): 849 - 853. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. Batelle, J. Evans, and S. Chamberlain Efferent fibers to Limulus eyes synthesize and release octopamine Science, June 11, 1982; 216(4551): 1250 - 1252. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A.M. Marsden Brightness--a review of current knowledge Lighting Research and Technology, September 1, 1969; 1(3): 171 - 181. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. K. Hartline Visual Receptors and Retinal Interaction Science, April 18, 1969; 164(3877): 270 - 278. [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. L. Purple and F. A. Dodge Interaction of Excitation and Inhibition in the Eccentric Cell in the Eye of Limulus Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, January 1, 1965; 30(0): 529 - 537. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. R. Baylor and E. Shaw Refractive Error and Vision in Fishes Science, April 13, 1962; 136(3511): 157 - 158. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. K. HARTLINE Inhibitory Interaction in the Limulus Eye--Abstract Arch Ophthalmol, October 1, 1958; 60(4): 734 - 738. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
