A comparison of koniocellular, magnocellular and parvocellular receptive field properties in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus)

Abstract

By analogy to previous work on lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) magnocellular (M) and parvocellular (P) cells our goal was to construct a physiological profile of koniocellular (K) cells that might be linked to particular visual perceptual attributes. Extracellular recordings were used to study LGN cells, or their axons, in silenced primary visual cortex (V1), in nine anaesthetized owl monkeys injected with a neuromuscular blocker. Receptive field centre‐surround organization was examined using flashing spots. Spatial and temporal tuning and contrast responses were examined using drifting sine‐wave gratings; counterphase sine‐wave gratings were used to examine linearity of spatial summation. Receptive fields of 133 LGN cells and 10 LGN afferent axons were analysed at eccentricities ranging from 2.8 to 31.3 deg. Thirty‐four per cent of K cells and only 9 % of P and 6 % of M cells responded poorly to drifting gratings. K, P and M cells showed increases in centre size with eccentricity, but K cells showed more scatter. All cells, except one M cell, showed linearity in spatial summation. At matched eccentricities, K cells exhibited lower spatial and intermediate temporal resolution compared with P and M cells. K contrast thresholds and gains were more similar to those of M than P cells. M cells showed lower spatial and higher temporal resolution and contrast gains than P cells. K cells in different K LGN layers differed in spatial, temporal and contrast characteristics, with K3 cells having higher spatial resolution and lower temporal resolution than K1/K2 cells. Taken together with previous results these findings suggest that the K cells consist of several classes, some of which could contribute to conventional aspects of spatial and temporal resolution.

Contour Detection by CORF Operator

“…The standard deviation σ of the Gaussian function G σ is a linear function 2 of the parameter ρ which is consistent with neurophysiological evidence for the relationship between the eccentricity and the average RF diameter of LGN cells [21]. Eq.…”

A CORF computational model of a simple cell that relies on LGN input outperforms the Gabor function model

“…The standard deviation σ of the Gaussian function G σ is a linear function 2 of the parameter ρ which is consistent with neurophysiological evidence for the relationship between the eccentricity and the average RF diameter of LGN cells (Xu et al 2001). Equation 4 presents a convolution of the weighting function G σ with the function c δ i σ i (x, y) that is shifted by ( x i , y i ) where this shift vector is determined by the sub-unit parameters (ρ i , φ i ).…”

Contrast sensitivity perimetry tests along the cardinal directions in color space: Correlation with the properties of the neural mechanisms mediating detection of spatio-temporal patterns

“…Las células de tipo P poseen campos receptivos más pequeños que los de las células M a una excentricidad dada, y responden a señales luminosas o cromáticas mediante una respuesta tónica o sostenida. Por último, las células K poseen campos receptivos similares en tamaño a los de las células M, y presentan respuesta sostenida a estímulos cromáticos [17][18][19][20].…”