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The use of m-sequences in the analysis of visual neurons: Linear receptive field properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

R. C. Reid ,
J. D. Victor  and
R. M. Shapley
R. C. Reid
Affiliation:
The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Biophysics, New York Cornell University Medical College, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, New York New York University, Center for Neural Science, New York
J. D. Victor
Affiliation:
The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Biophysics, New York Cornell University Medical College, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, New York
R. M. Shapley
Affiliation:
The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Biophysics, New York New York University, Center for Neural Science, New York
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Abstract

We have used Sutter's (1987) spatiotemporal m-sequence method to map the receptive fields of neurons in the visual system of the cat. The stimulus consisted of a grid of 16 X 16 square regions, each of which was modulated in time by a pseudorandom binary signal, known as an m-sequence. Several strategies for displaying the m-sequence stimulus are presented. The results of the method are illustrated with two examples. For both geniculate neurons and cortical simple cells, the measurement of first-order response properties with the m-sequence method provided a detailed characterization of classical receptive-field structures. First, we measured a spatiotemporal map of both the center and surround of a Y-cell in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). The time courses of the center responses was biphasic: OFF at short latencies, ON at longer latencies. The surround was also biphasic—ON then OFF—but somewhat slower. Second, we mapped the response properties of an area 17 directional simple cell. The response dynamics of the ON and OFF subregions varied considerably; the time to peak ranged over more than a factor of two. This spatiotemporal inseparability is related to the cell's directional selectivity (Reid et al., 1987, 1991; McLean & Palmer, 1989; McLean et al., 1994). The detail with which the time course of response can be measured at many different positions is one of the strengths of the m-sequence method.

Keywords

White noiseReverse correlationCatLateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)Visual cortexSimple cell
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 14 , Issue 6 , November 1997 , pp. 1015 - 1027
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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