On spiking units in the first optic chiasm of the blowfly. III. The sustaining unit

We recorded from the spiking sustaining unit in the optic chiasm between lamina and medulla in the brain of the blowfly Calliphora vicina, and investigated both temporal and spatial properties of the light-adapted cell. The sustaining unit fails to follow the highest temporal frequencies followed by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Comparative Physiology A 1993-08, Vol.173 (2), p.187-192
Main Authors: Jansonius, N.M, Hateren, J.H. van
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biochemistry. Physiology. Immunology
Biological and medical sciences
brain
Calliphora vicina
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Insecta
Invertebrates
lamina
medulla
photoreceptors
Physiology. Development
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Summary:We recorded from the spiking sustaining unit in the optic chiasm between lamina and medulla in the brain of the blowfly Calliphora vicina, and investigated both temporal and spatial properties of the light-adapted cell. The sustaining unit fails to follow the highest temporal frequencies followed by the photoreceptor, but its temporal resolution is substantially better than that of the on-off unit. The sustaining unit does not display the fast temporal adaptation as previously described in the on-off unit. As compared with the on-off unit, the sustaining unit has a high sensitivity to small contrasts. Although the sustaining unit continues spiking as long as the light is on, its response is also transient as it adapts rapidly after a change of intensity. The receptive field and the line spread function of the sustaining unit have a similar size and profile: a central lobe with a half-width of approximately 2 degrees surrounded by a circular inhibitory zone located at about 3 degrees off-axis.
ISSN:0340-7594
1432-1351
DOI:10.1007/BF00192977