Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 28 February 1986:
Vol. 231. no. 4741, pp. 999 - 1002
DOI: 10.1126/science.3945816
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Science, Vol 231, Issue 4741, 999-1002
Copyright © 1986 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Hyperacuity in cat retinal ganglion cells

R Shapley and J Victor

Cat X retinal ganglion cells that can resolve sine gratings of only 2.5 cycles per degree can nevertheless respond reliably to displacements of a grating of approximately 1 minute of arc. This is a form of hyperacuity comparable in magnitude to that seen in human vision. A theoretical analysis of this form of hyperacuity reveals it to be a result of the high gain and low noise of ganglion cells. The hyperacuity expected for the best retinal ganglion cells is substantially better than that observed in behavioral experiments. Thus the brain, rather than improving on the retinal signal-to-noise ratio by pooling signals from many ganglion cells, is unable to make use of all the hyperacuity information present in single ganglion cell responses.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Single-neuron responses and neuronal decisions in a vernier task.
Y. Zhang and R. C. Reid (2005)
PNAS 102, 3507-3512
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Spike Generator Limits Efficiency of Information Transfer in a Retinal Ganglion Cell.
N. K. Dhingra and R. G. Smith (2004)
J. Neurosci. 24, 2914-2922
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Effects of Attention on Orientation-Tuning Functions of Single Neurons in Macaque Cortical Area V4.
C. J. McAdams and J. H. R. Maunsell (1999)
J. Neurosci. 19, 431-441
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)