QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, July 30, 2003, 23(17):6936-6945

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (23) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Contreras, D. Articles by Palmer, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Contreras, D. Articles by Palmer, L.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Response to Contrast of Electrophysiologically Defined Cell Classes in Primary Visual Cortex

Diego Contreras and Larry Palmer

Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

Information processing in the visual cortex is critically dependent on the input-output relationships of its component neurons. The transformation of synaptic inputs into spike trains depends in turn on the host of intrinsic membrane properties expressed by neurons, which define established electrophysiological cell classes in the neocortex. Here we studied, with intracellular recordings in vivo, how the electrophysiological cell classes in the primary visual cortex transform an increasing input, represented by stimulus contrast, into membrane depolarization and trains of action potentials. We used contrast as input because, regardless of their stimulus selectivity, primary visual cortical cells increase their firing rates in response to increases in luminance contrast. We found that both the spike rate response and the membrane potential response are best described by the hyperbolic ratio function when compared with linear, power, and logarithmic functions. In addition, both responses show similar parameter values and similar residual variance from the fits to all four functions. We also found that changes in membrane potential are similar, but firing rates differ strongly, between the established electrophysiological cell classes: fast spiking neurons show the highest firing rates, followed by fast rhythmic bursting, and regular spiking (RS) cells. In addition, among complex cells, RS cells from supragranular layers fired at higher rates than RS cells from infragranular layers. Finally, we show that the differences in firing rates between cell classes arise from differences in the slope of the relationship between membrane potential and spike rate.

Key words: contrast; visual cortex; intrinsic properties; intracellular; in vivo; simple; complex

---

Received Apr. 7, 2003; revised May. 29, 2003; accepted Jun. 6, 2003.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Saez and M. J. Friedlander Synaptic Output of Individual Layer 4 Neurons in Guinea Pig Visual Cortex J. Neurosci., April 15, 2009; 29(15): 4930 - 4944. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Ayaz and F. S. Chance Gain Modulation of Neuronal Responses by Subtractive and Divisive Mechanisms of Inhibition J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2009; 101(2): 958 - 968. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. G. Nowak, M. V. Sanchez-Vives, and D. A. McCormick Lack of Orientation and Direction Selectivity in a Subgroup of Fast-Spiking Inhibitory Interneurons: Cellular and Synaptic Mechanisms and Comparison with Other Electrophysiological Cell Types Cereb Cortex, May 1, 2008; 18(5): 1058 - 1078. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Duong and R. D. Freeman Contrast Sensitivity Is Enhanced by Expansive Nonlinear Processing in the Lateral Geniculate Nucleus J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2008; 99(1): 367 - 372. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. D. Lu and A. W. Roe Optical Imaging of Contrast Response in Macaque Monkey V1 and V2 Cereb Cortex, November 1, 2007; 17(11): 2675 - 2695. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Cardin, L. A. Palmer, and D. Contreras Stimulus Feature Selectivity in Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons in Primary Visual Cortex J. Neurosci., September 26, 2007; 27(39): 10333 - 10344. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Higgs, S. J. Slee, and W. J. Spain Diversity of gain modulation by noise in neocortical neurons: regulation by the slow afterhyperpolarization conductance. J. Neurosci., August 23, 2006; 26(34): 8787 - 8799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-M. Alonso and H. A. Swadlow Thalamocortical Specificity and the Synthesis of Sensory Cortical Receptive Fields J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2005; 94(1): 26 - 32. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. F. Descalzo, L. G. Nowak, J. C. Brumberg, D. A. McCormick, and M. V. Sanchez-Vives Slow Adaptation in Fast-Spiking Neurons of Visual Cortex J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2005; 93(2): 1111 - 1118. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help