Biomaterial Database

Laminar organization and contrast sensitivity of direction-selective cells in the striate cortex of the Old World monkey. 1988

M J Hawken, and A J Parker, and J S Lund

University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, United Kingdom.

The directional preference of neurons sampled from all layers of the striate cortex was determined using the responses to drifting grating stimuli of optimal spatial and temporal frequency. In addition, contrast sensitivity as a function of spatial frequency was measured and from the resulting spatial contrast sensitivity function the peak contrast sensitivity and optimal spatial frequency were obtained. The distribution of directionally selective cells showed a distinct laminar pattern. Upper layer 4 (4a, 4b, and 4c alpha) and layer 6 were the only cortical layers with neurons that showed a pronounced preference for the direction of stimulus motion. The directionally selective cells in these layers are among those with the highest contrast sensitivities but had optimal spatial frequencies that were confined to the low and middle range of the optimal spatial frequency distribution. These findings suggest that the directionally selective cells may fall into at least 2 distinct populations, which may be the first stages in the visual pathway that correspond to those channels, inferred from psychophysical experiments, that underlie the detection of movement.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008252	Macaca fascicularis	A species of the genus MACACA which typically lives near the coast in tidal creeks and mangrove swamps primarily on the islands of the Malay peninsula.	Burmese Long-Tailed Macaque,Crab-Eating Monkey,Cynomolgus Monkey,M. f. aurea,M. fascicularis,Macaca fascicularis aurea,Monkey, Crab-Eating,Monkey, Cynomolgus,Crab-Eating Macaque,Burmese Long Tailed Macaque,Crab Eating Macaque,Crab Eating Monkey,Crab-Eating Macaques,Crab-Eating Monkeys,Cynomolgus Monkeys,Long-Tailed Macaque, Burmese,Macaque, Burmese Long-Tailed,Macaque, Crab-Eating,Monkey, Crab Eating
D008839	Microelectrodes	Electrodes with an extremely small tip, used in a voltage clamp or other apparatus to stimulate or record bioelectric potentials of single cells intracellularly or extracellularly. (Dorland, 28th ed)	Electrodes, Miniaturized,Electrode, Miniaturized,Microelectrode,Miniaturized Electrode,Miniaturized Electrodes
D009474	Neurons	The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the NERVOUS SYSTEM.	Nerve Cells,Cell, Nerve,Cells, Nerve,Nerve Cell,Neuron
D009949	Orientation	Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person.	Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D002520	Cercopithecidae	The family of Old World monkeys and baboons consisting of two subfamilies: CERCOPITHECINAE and COLOBINAE. They are found in Africa and part of Asia.	Catarrhina,Miopithecus talapoin,Monkey, Talapoin,Monkeys, Old World,Monkey, Old World,Old World Monkey,Old World Monkeys,Talapoin Monkey,Talapoin Monkeys,World Monkey, Old
D002522	Chlorocebus aethiops	A species of CERCOPITHECUS containing three subspecies: C. tantalus, C. pygerythrus, and C. sabeus. They are found in the forests and savannah of Africa. The African green monkey is the natural host of SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS and is used in AIDS research.	African Green Monkey,Cercopithecus aethiops,Cercopithecus griseoviridis,Cercopithecus griseus,Cercopithecus pygerythrus,Cercopithecus sabeus,Cercopithecus tantalus,Chlorocebus cynosuros,Chlorocebus cynosurus,Chlorocebus pygerythrus,Green Monkey,Grivet Monkey,Lasiopyga weidholzi,Malbrouck,Malbrouck Monkey,Monkey, African Green,Monkey, Green,Monkey, Grivet,Monkey, Vervet,Savanah Monkey,Vervet Monkey,Savannah Monkey,African Green Monkey,Chlorocebus cynosuro,Green Monkey, African,Green Monkeys,Grivet Monkeys,Malbrouck Monkeys,Malbroucks,Monkey, Malbrouck,Monkey, Savanah,Monkey, Savannah,Savannah Monkeys,Vervet Monkeys
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013028	Space Perception	The awareness of the spatial properties of objects; includes physical space.	Perception, Space,Perceptions, Space,Space Perceptions
D014793	Visual Cortex	Area of the OCCIPITAL LOBE concerned with the processing of visual information relayed via VISUAL PATHWAYS.	Area V2,Area V3,Area V4,Area V5,Associative Visual Cortex,Brodmann Area 18,Brodmann Area 19,Brodmann's Area 18,Brodmann's Area 19,Cortical Area V2,Cortical Area V3,Cortical Area V4,Cortical Area V5,Secondary Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondary,Visual Cortex V2,Visual Cortex V3,Visual Cortex V3, V4, V5,Visual Cortex V4,Visual Cortex V5,Visual Cortex, Associative,Visual Motion Area,Extrastriate Cortex,Area 18, Brodmann,Area 18, Brodmann's,Area 19, Brodmann,Area 19, Brodmann's,Area V2, Cortical,Area V3, Cortical,Area V4, Cortical,Area V5, Cortical,Area, Visual Motion,Associative Visual Cortices,Brodmanns Area 18,Brodmanns Area 19,Cortex Secondary, Visual,Cortex V2, Visual,Cortex V3, Visual,Cortex, Associative Visual,Cortex, Extrastriate,Cortex, Secondary Visual,Cortex, Visual,Cortical Area V3s,Extrastriate Cortices,Secondary Visual Cortices,V3, Cortical Area,V3, Visual Cortex,V4, Area,V4, Cortical Area,V5, Area,V5, Cortical Area,V5, Visual Cortex,Visual Cortex Secondaries,Visual Cortex, Secondary,Visual Motion Areas
D015350	Contrast Sensitivity	The ability to detect sharp boundaries (stimuli) and to detect slight changes in luminance at regions without distinct contours. Psychophysical measurements of this visual function are used to evaluate VISUAL ACUITY and to detect eye disease.	Visual Contrast Sensitivity,Sensitivity, Contrast,Sensitivity, Visual Contrast