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The spatial arrangement of excitatory and inhibitory inputs to a cortical neuron determines which features of a stimulus will be encoded by the neuron.A. A
neuron in area 3b of the primary somatosensory cortex has overlapping excitatory and inhibitory zones within its receptive field.
B. Convergence of three presynaptic neurons with the same arrangement of excitatory and inhibitory zones allows direction and orientation selectivity in a
neuron in area 2. 1. Downward motion of a horizontal bar across the receptive field of the postsynaptic cell produces a strong excitatory response because
the excitatory fields of all three presynaptic neurons are contacted simultaneously. Upward motion of the bar strongly inhibits firing because it enters all
three inhibitory
fields Touch,
first. The
neuron responds
poorly to Fifth
upward
motion through the excitatory field because the initial inhibition outlasts the stimulus. 2.
Source:
Principles
of Neural Science,
Editon
Motion of a vertical bar across the receptive field evokes a weak response because it simultaneously crosses the excitatory and inhibitory receptive fields
Citation: Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM, Siegelbaum SA, Hudspeth AJ, Mack S. Principles of Neural Science, Fifth Editon; 2012 Available
of the input neurons. Motion to the left and right are not distinguished in this example.
at: http://mhmedical.com/ Accessed: May 12, 2017
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