Limulus psychophysics: temporal summation in the ventral eye. 1978

G S Wasserman

Physiological experiments on the properties of temporal summation in single cells of the peripheral visual system of Limulus have shown that the type of temporal summation and the value of the critical duration depend on the way in which the investigator arbitrarily chooses to analyze the same physiological response. The behavioral expression of temporal summation should therefore depend upon the way in which the central nervous system actually analyzes responses transmitted by peripheral structures as well as upon the nature of these peripheral responses. Accordingly, the present two behavioral experiments investigated the analysis of temporal summation carried out by the central nervous system of Limulus by investigating the psychophysics of temporal summation mediated by the ventral eye. Supersummation occurred in both psychophysical experiments up to critical durations near 4.5 sec, which was approximately the same as the reaction times or latencies of the behavioral responses at threshold. The degree of supersummation was extreme; a fourfold change in stimulus duration required an almost 40,000-fold change in stimulus intensity to remain at threshold. Even though some features of physiologically recorded receptor potentials have critical durations less than 10 msec, these findings suggest that the central nervous system of Limulus can integrate peripheral signals over intervals of many seconds. Since the source of the supersummation is the nonlinearity of the receptor transfer function at high levels, these results also indicate that a behavior at threshold can be mediated by a strong neural response.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009899 Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian In invertebrate zoology, a lateral lobe of the FOREBRAIN in certain ARTHROPODS. In vertebrate zoology, either of the corpora bigemina of non-mammalian VERTEBRATES. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed, p1329) Corpora Bigemina,Optic Lobe, Non-Mammalian,Bigemina, Corpora,Non-Mammalian Optic Lobe,Non-Mammalian Optic Lobes,Nonmammalian Optic Lobe,Nonmammalian Optic Lobes,Optic Lobe, Non Mammalian,Optic Lobes, Non-Mammalian,Optic Lobes, Nonmammalian
D010775 Photic Stimulation Investigative technique commonly used during ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY in which a series of bright light flashes or visual patterns are used to elicit brain activity. Stimulation, Photic,Visual Stimulation,Photic Stimulations,Stimulation, Visual,Stimulations, Photic,Stimulations, Visual,Visual Stimulations
D010786 Photoreceptor Cells Specialized cells that detect and transduce light. They are classified into two types based on their light reception structure, the ciliary photoreceptors and the rhabdomeric photoreceptors with MICROVILLI. Ciliary photoreceptor cells use OPSINS that activate a PHOSPHODIESTERASE phosphodiesterase cascade. Rhabdomeric photoreceptor cells use opsins that activate a PHOSPHOLIPASE C cascade. Ciliary Photoreceptor Cells,Ciliary Photoreceptors,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cells,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptors,Cell, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cell, Photoreceptor,Cell, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Cells, Ciliary Photoreceptor,Cells, Photoreceptor,Cells, Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor,Ciliary Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell,Photoreceptor Cell, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cell, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor Cells, Ciliary,Photoreceptor Cells, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptor, Ciliary,Photoreceptor, Rhabdomeric,Photoreceptors, Ciliary,Photoreceptors, Rhabdomeric,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor,Rhabdomeric Photoreceptor Cell
D011930 Reaction Time The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed. Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D012018 Reflex An involuntary movement or exercise of function in a part, excited in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the brain or spinal cord.
D002490 Central Nervous System The main information-processing organs of the nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and meninges. Cerebrospinal Axis,Axi, Cerebrospinal,Axis, Cerebrospinal,Central Nervous Systems,Cerebrospinal Axi,Nervous System, Central,Nervous Systems, Central,Systems, Central Nervous
D006737 Horseshoe Crabs An arthropod subclass (Xiphosura) comprising the North American (Limulus) and Asiatic (Tachypleus) genera of horseshoe crabs. Crabs, Horseshoe,Limulus,Limulus polyphemus,Tachypleus,Xiphosura,Crab, Horseshoe,Horseshoe Crab,Xiphosuras
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
D001522 Behavior, Animal The observable response an animal makes to any situation. Autotomy Animal,Animal Behavior,Animal Behaviors
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

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