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Evaluation of the relative roles of slowly and rapidly adapting afferent fibers in roughness perception.

Previous studies of the neural mechanisms of roughness perception have provided evidence that the magnitude of perceived roughness depends on spatial variation in the afferent population discharge. This paper reviews those studies and provides new data that appear to show that roughness perception cannot depend on activity in cutaneous rapidly adapting afferent fibers when surface element spacings exceed 1 mm. Finer surfaces have not been studied in combined psychophysical and neurophysiological studies. This paper also reinterprets the data of an earlier study, showing that all within-fiber neural coding mechanisms, which include impulse rate codes and codes based on the temporal structure of the afferent signal, can be rejected as the basis for roughness perception when the finger scans a textured surface.

Adaptation, Physiological

Spatiotemporal contrast sensitivity and visual field locus.

Contrast sensitivity, measured as a function of retinal eccentricity for stimuli differing in temporal and spatial frequency (0.25-9 c/deg; 0-16 Hz, 0-12 degrees eccentricity), was maximum at the fovea and declined linearly with eccentricity. The slope of the decrease depended upon spatial but not temporal frequency. Contrast sensitivity for drifting gratings was approximately twice that for sinusoidal counterphase gratings at all eccentricities. For central viewing log contrast sensitivity increased with grating length. The shape of this function was systematically related to spatial frequency but independent of temporal frequency, indicating that the visual field is homogeneous in sensitivity for change in contrast over time. The implications of these findings for mechanisms of threshold vision in fovea and periphery are discussed.

Form Perception

Influence of spatial frequency on tuning and bias for orientation and direction in the cat's striate cortex.

Directionality, orientation and spatial frequency tuning were determined for 108 neurones recorded extracellularly from the striate cortex of anaesthetized cats. Significant sharpening of orientation selectivity with increasing spatial frequency was seen in all simple neurones and the overwhelming majority of complex neurones. Orientation selectivity sharpened in 90 and broadened in only 10 of 100 fully characterized neurones. At least four distinct classes of neurone could be characterized on the basis of their directionality at optimal spatial frequency, and the presence or absence of changes in directionality over a range of spatial frequencies: in two classes, directionality was spatial-frequency dependent; in the remaining two it was invariant. With two exceptions Type A neurones (23 cells) were direction-selective; they were narrowly tuned for orientation and spatial frequency, and their directionality was invariant with spatial-frequency. The majority of neurones (52 cells) were Type B, most of which were direction-biased; their bias for direction varied systematically with spatial frequency. Type C were direction-biased and spatial-frequency selective (5 cells), but showed a clear reversal of bias with change in spatial frequency. Type D, a subset of direction-biased cells, were bidirectional and spatial-frequency invariant (8 cells), with comparable response strengths to motion in two opposing directions at all spatial frequencies. These response types crossed traditional boundaries between categories of simple and complex neurones, assigned on the basis of spatial summation, presence or absence of end-inhibition, and receptive field size.

Animals

Unsharpness and contrast in digitised images.

The physical quality of a digitised image is affected by non-digital processes in the imaging instrumentation and by digital processes in the computer. The spatial unsharpness depends on instrumental resolution and on the pixel size of the digital array. The image contrast depends on the properties of the imaging system and on the number of grey scales used in the digital sampling process. The possibility is examined of constructing formulae for spatial unsharpness, and for the analogous parameter in the intensity dimension, defined as threshold contrast, in terms of instrumental and digital components. Formulae are developed from simple principles and tested against the observed properties of computer simulated images. The conclusion is that the concepts and the formulae provide a basis for predicting the effects of digital processing on the total unsharpness and contrast of digitised images.

Computers

Tonic interocular suppression and binocular summation in human vision.

1. Spatial sensitivity of human foveal vision was examined using sinusoidally modulated gratings. Our primary concern was the influence of interocular light adaptation upon monocular visibility. 2. Interocular adapting influences depend upon spatial frequency and adapting luminance. Interocular adaptation has a negligible influence upon the sensitivity to 1 cycle/deg gratings. Any visible interocular adapting field improves the sensitivity to intermediate spatial frequencies (2-5 cycles/deg). 3. Brighter interocular backgrounds (greater than 0.1 cd/m2) improve sensitivity to higher spatial frequencies (10-20 cycles/deg). 4. The interocular adapting influences summarized in (2) and (3) above cannot be duplicated by monocular or binocular adaptation. Similarly, monocular or binocular adaptation have negligible influences upon binocular visibility. 5. The interocular adapting effect summarized in (3) above can be duplicated by pressure blinding the contralateral eye. We conclude that monocular spatial sensitivity is subject to a tonic interocular suppression (TIS) from the dark-adapted eye. 6. The spatial sensitivity resulting from binocular viewing is nearly identical to that observed by combining monocular viewing with interocular light adaptation. We suggest that the improvement in sensitivity resulting from two-eyed viewing may be attributable to the removal of TIS instead of to binocular physiological summation.

Adaptation, Ocular

Integro-differential equations and the stability of neural networks with dendritic structure.

We analyse the effects of dendritic structure on the stability of a recurrent neural network in terms of a set of coupled, non-linear Volterra integro-differential equations. These, which describe the dynamics of the somatic membrane potentials, are obtained by eliminating the dendritic potentials from the underlying compartmental model or cable equations. We then derive conditions for Turing-like instability as a precursor for pattern formation in a spatially organized network. These conditions depend on the spatial distribution of axo-dendritic connections across the network.

Animals

Spatial and temporal selectivity of the human motion detection system.

Measurements were made of spatial frequency, orientation and temporal frequency selectivity of the visual motion system. The results suggest: (1) There exists in the motion system mechanisms selective for spatial frequency. The preferred spatial frequency varies considerably and extends down to at least 0.06 c/deg. (2) At all spatial frequencies (from 0.1 to 10 c/deg) there exist detectors selective for orientation which vary in (directed) orientation tuning to encompass 360 degrees. (3) The bandwidth of both spatial frequency and orientation selectivity vary inversely with spatial frequency: the lower the spatial frequency, the broader the bandwidth. (4) There exist two classes of temporally tuned detectors, one lowpass (sustained) and one bandpass (transient), of preferred temporal frequency of 7-13 Hz (depending on spatial frequency).

Form Perception

Spatial and temporal properties of luminosity horizontal cells in the turtle retina.

Luminosity horizontal cells in the turtle retina respond approximately linearly to visual stimuli with contrast levels spanning a large part of the physiological range. We characterized the response properties of these cells under conditions of low photopic background illumination by measuring their spatial and temporal frequency transfer functions. Our experimental results indicate in two ways that, under these conditions, feedback from luminosity horizontal cells to cones does not play a major role in the mechanisms underlying the spatial and temporal tuning of horizontal cell responses. First, the shape of the spatial transfer function depended only weakly on the temporal frequency with which it was measured. Second, the shape of the temporal transfer function depended only weakly on the spatial frequency with which it was measured.

Animals

The two-dimensional spectral structure of simple receptive fields in cat striate cortex.

1. A quantitative, general purpose method was developed for measuring the responses of visual neurons to stimuli distributed with high resolution over the two-dimensional (2D) spatial frequency domain. The stimuli consisted of drifting sinusoidal gratings of nonsaturating contrasts whose spatial frequency and orientation were drawn in random order from a 16 X 16 array of coordinates covering each neuron's responsive area. This method was applied to a population of 36 simple cells in area 17 of cat. 2. The response of each simple cell to drifting sinusoidal gratings appeared as a rectified sinusoidal modulation of the spike frequency. The degree of rectification varied from cell to cell, but for each cell, the form of the response was constant irrespective of stimulus spatial frequency, orientation, or contrast. The amplitude of the average response at the stimulus temporal frequency was used as the response metric at all spectral coordinates. Variations in this amplitude over two spectral dimensions forms a surface that we call the 2D spectral response profile. 3. For each cell, the 2D spectral response profile was localized to a limited region of the complete 2D spatial frequency domain. In bidirectionally responsive cells, there were two lobes in the surface disposed with mirror symmetry about the origin. In all cells, each lobe exhibited a single maximum and the response decayed smoothly in every direction away from the maximum. Isoresponse amplitude contours were elliptical and often, but not always, elongated about an axis of symmetry passing through the origin. 4. We tested the hypothesis that orientation and spatial frequency tuning are independent by forming scaled radial and angular sections through 2D spectral response profiles. In virtually every case polar separability did not obtain, that is, orientation selectivity depended on spatial frequency and vice versa. 5. In contrast, more than half the cells had 2D spectral response profiles that were Cartesian separable. The 2D spectral response profiles of most of the remaining cells were neither polar nor Cartesian separable, because the response profiles were elongated about an axis of symmetry that did not pass through the origin. 6. These results are discussed in terms of the constraints they place on models of the contributions simple cells make toward the neural representation of images.

Animals

Perceived speed and direction of complex gratings and plaids.

Measurements of perceived speed were obtained for a variety of drifting simple and complex gratings, and measurements of perceived speed and direction were obtained for plaids. For sine gratings, perceived speed falls off at high spatial frequencies, the effect of spatial frequency being greatest at high speeds. Speed matches obtained from a variety of one-dimensional complex gratings are in some cases consistent with a simple averaging of the discrepant speeds signaled by their spatial Fourier components when seen alone. However, in other cases the results do not fit such an interpretation but suggest the involvement of a mechanism other than Fourier decomposition and recombination. Measurements of the perceived speed of plaids suggest that the observed spatial-frequency-dependent variations in encoded speed of gratings arise largely at a low level, before the aperture problem is solved. Measurements of the perceived direction of plaids whose components are of different spatial frequencies and hence have different perceived speeds show large deviations from the direction predicted by the intersection-of-velocity-constraints model [Nature 300, 523 (1982)] and are suggestive of a revised two-stage model in which the computation of pattern direction is based on the (sometimes disparate) perceived speeds of the components rather than their actual speeds.

Humans

Lower thresholds of motion for gratings as a function of eccentricity and contrast.

We investigated the lower threshold for motion (LTM) of gratings as a function of position in the visual field, spatial frequency and contrast and we compared motion thresholds for sine wave and square wave luminance profiles. For contrasts below 0.05 the lower threshold for motion was raised; the increase in threshold being dependent upon spatial frequency. At contrast levels above 0.05, LTM was found to be a constant velocity at any given spatial location but increased with eccentricity of view. Raised thresholds for motion at eccentric locations could be compensated by increasing the size of eccentric gratings in proportion to M-1, where M is the cortical magnification factor, a procedure which standardises the cortical representation at differing eccentricities. Thus LTM could be expressed as a constant cortical velocity for grating contrasts above 0.05 at all stimulus locations investigated. We interpret our data as support for a ratio model of velocity coding.

Adult

Interocular mismatch in spatial frequency and directionality characteristics of striate cortical neurones.

Spatial-frequency dependence of directional tuning and directional bias was compared, for both eyes, in four previously established discrete classes of binocular feline striate cortical neurones. Two classes (respectively direction-selective or bidirectional at optimal spatial frequency) were directionality invariant at all spatial frequencies. In the remaining two classes, both direction-biased at optimal spatial frequency, directional bias either altered or reversed with change in spatial frequency. In all four classes, the directional tuning of a majority of neurones sharpened at high spatial frequency through either eye, although the bandpass characteristics were sometimes dissimilar for the two eyes. All neurones were of the same type through either eye. Amongst the two classes of direction-biased neurones, the strength of bias was commonly different through the two eyes. Where reversal of bias occurred, that reversal took place at different spatial frequencies for each eye. Thus, the direction and orientation preferences of cortical neurones are fixed at optimal spatial frequency, but their envelope of tuning to a gamut of spatial frequencies is not. These differences are potentially related to binocular coding of visual perspective, including dynamic object rotation in visual space.

Animals

Conjunction of color and form without attention: evidence from an orientation-contingent color aftereffect.

According to feature-integration theory (Treisman & Gelade, 1980), separable features such as color and shape exist in separate maps in preattentive vision and can be integrated only through the use of spatial attention. Many perceptual aftereffects, however, which are also assumed to reflect the features available in preattentive vision, are sensitive to conjunctions of features. One possible resolution of these views holds that adaptation to conjunctions depends on spatial attention. We tested this proposition by presenting observers with gratings varying in color and orientation. The resulting McCollough aftereffects were independent of whether the adaptation stimuli were presented inside or outside of the focus of spatial attention. Therefore, color and shape appear to be conjoined preattentively, when perceptual aftereffects are used as the measure. These same stimuli, however, appeared to be separable in two additional experiments that required observers to search for gratings of a specified color and orientation. These results show that different experimental procedures may be tapping into different stages of preattentive vision.

Adolescent

In situ binding of bouton zinc reversibly disrupts performance on a spatial memory task.

Neurons with zinc in the presynaptic vesicles innervate much of the telencephalon, but the functional significance of the vesicular zinc has never been established. The present work shows that reversible binding of zinc by drug infusion into the hippocampus produces a time-locked and selective disruption of hippocampal-dependent spatial-working memory. A role for vesicular zinc in neurotransmission or neuromodulation is implied.

Animals

[Theoretical conformational analysis of methylamide of N-acetyl-L-lysine].

The spatial structure of the methylamide of N-acetyl-L-lysine has been analysed taking into account non-bonded and electrostatic interactions, torsional energy, bond angles distortion and hydrogen bonding. Conformational capacities of the backbone and mutual dependence of spatial structures of the backbone and the side chain was described by conformational maps obtained by energy minimisation, the dihedral angles and the bond angles of the side chain being varied for every phi, psi point. Every possible combination for phi, psi, x1-x5-angles was used corresponding to the stable form of the backbone and to torsion potential minima of the initial approximations in the calculation of preferred conformations of the molecule. Comparisons are made between stable forms of the methylamide of N-acetyl-L-lysine and Lys residues in proteins with known structure.

Amides

[Digital radiography].

Advantages of digital radiography: Improved low contrast imaging; Image processing capability (on line or post-processing); Lower radiation dose for certain applications ("Dose variation"); Digital storage and data transfer; Only one exposure for different imaging characteristics; Optimised real-time image, "digital fluoroscopy" (DBR); Shorter examination times (DBR); Advantages for technically complicated exposures (intensive care, superpositions in the chest region, pediatry) (DLR); High dynamic range, which eliminates over or under exposure; Real time image processing and display (DBR). Disadvantages of digital radiography; Lower spatial resolution is limiting fine structure (max. theoretical resolution is 31p/mm for 1000 and app. 5 lp/mm for 2000 pixels image matrix); Spatial resolution depends from image intensifier diameter or screen format; Lower SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) for reduced dose, increased noise impression for edge enhancement; Information losses for monitor camera (DBR) -hardcopies; Diagnostic capabilities are reduced by noise and low spatial resolution caused by certain applications (mammography).

Humans

Effect of finite phosphor thickness on detective quantum efficiency.

In this paper we describe theoretically the relationship between the finite thickness of a phosphor screen and its spatial-frequency-dependent detective quantum efficiency DQE(f-). The finite thickness of the screen causes a variation in both the total number of light quanta emitted from the screen in a burst from a given x-ray interaction and in the spatial distribution of the quanta within the light burst [i.e., shape or point spread function (PSF) of the light burst]. The variation in magnitude of the burst gives rise to a spatial-frequency-independent reduction in DQE, characterized by the scintillation efficiency As. The variation in PSF causes a roll off in DQE with increasing spatial frequency which we have characterized by the function Rc(f). Both As and Rc(f) can be determined from the moments of the distribution of the spatial Fourier spectrum of light bursts emitted from the phosphor and thus they are related: As is a scaling factor for Rc(f). Our theory predicts that it is necessary for all light bursts which appear at the output to have the same magnitude to maximize As and the same shape to maximize Rc(f). These requirements can lead to the result that the fluorescent screen with the highest modulation transfer function will not necessarily have the highest DQE(f) even at high spatial frequencies.

Fourier Analysis

Blockade of spatial learning by the M1 muscarinic antagonist pirenzepine.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of the M1 muscarinic receptor antagonist pirenzepine on place navigation in a water maze. In the first experiment rats were required to learn the location of a hidden platform following intracerebroventricular injections of equimolar doses of pirenzepine or scopolamine methylbromide. Both drugs dose-dependently impaired spatial learning according to both escape latency data and transfer test analysis. Pirenzepine was approximately 3 times less potent than scopolamine, a potency ratio which suggests M1 receptor mediation of the impairment. In the second experiment pirenzepine (1 approximately 92.3 micrograms/rat ICV) was injected prior to training on a simultaneous place discrimination task in the water maze. Impairments of choice accuracy were found with a dose of 20 micrograms/rat in the absence of any marked increases in either errors of omission or choice latency. These data suggest that M1 receptor blockade impairs processes which are involved in spatial learning.

Animals