Abstract
Measurements of the pulse-interval distribution and pulse-number distribution for cat retinal ganglion cells in darkness and light have been carried out by Barlow, Levick, and Yoon. The experimental results for an on-center brisk-sustained cell are in accord with a mathematical model incorporating four features: Poisson quantum fluctuations, additive dark noise, multiplication noise (random multiple neural spikes per absorbed quantum), and refractoriness. The data cannot be properly explained by a model lacking any one of these features. Parameters extracted from the model are in good agreement with physiological values.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hecht, S., Shlaer, S., Pirenne, M.H.: Energy, quanta, and vision. J. Gen. Physiol. 25, 819–840 (1942)
Barlow, H.B., Levick, W.R., Yoon, M.: Responses to single quanta of light in retinal ganglion cells of the cat. Vision Res. 11, Suppl. 3, 87–101 (1971)
Levick, W.R.: Form and function of cat retinal ganglion cells. Nature 254, 659–662 (1975)
Barlow, H.B.: Retinal noise and absolute threshold. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 46, 634–639 (1956)
Levick, W.R., Thibos, L.N., Cohn, T.E., Catanzaro, D., Barlow, H.B.: Performance of cat retinal ganglion cells at low light levels. J. Gen. Physiol. 82, 405–426 (1983)
McGill, W.J.: Poisson counting and detection in sensory systems. In: Concepts in communications: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and mathematical, Chap. 9, pp. 257–281, Beckenbach, E.F., Tompkins, C.B., eds., New York: Wiley 1971
Teich, M.C.: Role of the doubly stochastic Neyman Type-A and Thomas counting distributions in photon detection. Appl. Opt. 20, 2457–2467 (1981)
Teich, M.C., Saleh, B.E.A.: Interevent-time statistics for shot-noise-driven self-exciting point processes in photon detection. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71, 771–776 (1981)
Saleh, B.E.A., Teich, M.C.: Multiplied-Poisson noise in pulse, particle, and photon detection. Proc. IEEE 70, 229–245 (1982)
Baylor, D.A., Lamb, T.D., Yau, K.-W.: Responses of retinal rods to single photons. J. Physiol. 288, 613–634 (1979)
Yau, K.-W., Matthews, G., Baylor, D.A.: Thermal activation of the visual transduction mechanism in retinal rods. Nature 279, 785–786 (1979)
Baylor, D.A., Matthews, G., Yau, K.-W.: Two components of electrical dark noise in toad retinal rod outer segments. J. Physiol. 309, 591–621 (1980)
Nunn, B.J., Baylor, D.A.: Visual transduction in retinal rods of the monkey Macaca fascicularis. Nature 299, 726–728 (1982)
Levick, W.R., Zacks, J.L.: Responses of cat retinal ganglion cells to brief flashes of light. J. Physiol. 206, 677–700 (1970)
Levick, W.R.: Personal communication
Mastebroek, H.A.K., Zaagman, W.H., Kuiper, J.W.: Intensity and structure of visually evoked neural activity: rivals in modeling a visual system. Vision Res 17, 29–35 (1977)
Teich, M.C., Khanna, S.M.: Pulse-number distribution for the neural spike train in the cat's auditory nerve. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 77, 1110–1128 (1985)
Saleh, B.E.A., Tavolacci, J.T., Teich, M.C.: Discrimination of shot-noise-driven Poisson processes by external dead time: Application to radioluminescence from glass. IEEE J. QE 17, 2341–2350 (1981)
Teich, M.C., Diament, P.: Relative refractoriness in visual information processing. Biol. Cybern. 38, 187–191 (1980)
Saleh, B.E.A., Teich, M.C.: Statistical properties of a non-stationary Neyman-Scott cluster process. IEEE Trans. IT 29, 939–941 (1983)
Tolhurst, D.J., Movshon, J.A., Thompson, I.D.: The dependence of response amplitude and variance of cat visual cortical neurones on stimulus contrast. Exp. Brain Res. 41, 414–419 (1981)
Dean, A.F.: The variability of discharge of simple cells in the cat striate cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 44, 437–440 (1981)
Tolhurst, D.J., Movshon, J.A., Dean, A.F.: The statistical reliability of signals in single neurons in cat and monkey visual cortex. Vision Res 23, 775–785 (1983)
Teich, M.C., Saleh, B.E.A.: Effects of random deletion and additive noise on bunched and antibunched photoncounting statistics. Opt. Lett. 7, 365–367 (1982)
Matsuo, K., Saleh, B.E.A., Teich, M.C.: Cascaded Poisson processes. J. Math. Phys. 23, 2353–2364 (1982)
Teich, M.C., Prucnal, P.R., Vannucci, G., Breton, M.E., McGill, W.J.: Multiplication noise in the visual system at threshold: 1. Quantum fluctuations and minimum detectable energy. J. Opt. Soc. Am. 72, 419–431 (1982)
Prucnal, P.R., Teich, M.C.: Multiplication noise in the human visual system at threshold: 2. Probit estimation of parameters. Biol. Cybern. 43, 87–96 (1982)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Saleh, B.E.A., Teich, M.C. Multiplication and refractoriness in the cat's retinal-ganglion-cell discharge at low light levels. Biol. Cybern. 52, 101–107 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00364000
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00364000