Nonlinearity of the inhibition underlying retinal directional selectivity Journal Article


Authors: Amthor, F. R.; Grzywacz, N. M.
Article Title: Nonlinearity of the inhibition underlying retinal directional selectivity
Abstract: An important mechanism for the discrimination of direction of motion in the retina is a spatially asymmetric inhibition. This inhibition has been postulated to operate either as a subtraction, like in difference-of-Gaussians' models, or as a division, like in shunting-inhibition models of directional selectivity. The latter, but not the former, is nonlinear. This raises the question of whether the inhibitory mechanism involved in directional selectivity is nonlinear. To investigate this issue, we studied the linearity of the contrast dependence of the extracellularly recorded responses to apparent motions in ON-OFF directionally selective ganglion cells of the rabbit retina. The results show that the inhibition underlying directional selectivity is nonlinear and fits shunting-inhibition models well. Other biophysical mechanisms that might account for the type of nonlinearity observed in the data are also considered.
Journal Title: Visual neuroscience
Volume: 6
Issue: 3
ISSN: 0952-5238
Publisher: Unknown  
Journal Place: England
Date Published: 1991
Start Page: 197
End Page: 206
Language: eng
DOI/URL:
Notes: J2: Vis Neurosci