Receptive Field Changes Research Articles

Receptive-field changes induced by peripheral nerve stimulation in SI of adult cats

1. Receptive fields (RFs) of neurons in the primary somatosensory (SI) cortex were defined before, during, and after electrical stimulation of myelinated fibers in the dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve in adult pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized cats. 2. This stimulation resulted in an approximately threefold increase of SI multiunit RF sizes. Substantial changes were first recorded within 1-2 h of stimulation. RFs typically enlarged continuously over a several-hour stimulation period, then stabilized. 3. RF-area increases were observed within both the forepaw and hindpaw representational zones in the SI cortex contralateral to the stimulated forepaw nerve. RF sizes did not increase in the ipsilateral SI body surface representation or in sham-stimulation control animals. 4. Preliminary studies indicate that stimulation-induced changes can be halted and often reversed by the intravenous administration of the opiate antagonist naloxone. 5. These observations suggest a global naloxone-sensitive modulatory system that operates on large-diameter afferent inputs in the cat somatosensory system. The increases in RF size occur under nerve-stimulation conditions similar to those that result in the generation of widespread analgesia (Chung et al. 1984a,b; Gamble and Milne 1986; Toda and Ichioka 1978).

Quantitative measurements of receptive field changes during antagonism of GABAergic transmission in primary somatosensory cortex of cats.

In cortical area 3b of cats, responses of 76 single neurons to punctate indentations were recorded before and during iontophoretic administration of bicuculline methiodide (BMI), a GABAergic antagonist, at levels that did not affect spontaneous activity. Constant amplitude indentations were applied to selected sites along distal-proximal and radial-ulnar axes that intersected the most sensitive area in the receptive field. Profiles of response magnitudes were used to measure receptive field dimensions before and during antagonism of GABAergic inhibition. Blockade of GABAergic transmission caused receptive field dimensions of 48 rapidly-adapting neurons to increase an average 141%, or nearly 2.5 times their original size. Analysis of the spatial distribution of inhibition indicated that in-field inhibition was larger than surround inhibition. During BMI administration, response latency was significantly longer for response elicited from the expanded territory than for responses elicited from within the original receptive field, suggesting that receptive field expansion might be mediated by multisynaptic intracortical connections. The magnitude of receptive field expansion was independent of receptive field size or peripheral location. In a substantial number of neurons, however, BMI produced asymmetric expansions that extended only in the proximal direction. For 9 slowly-adapting neurons. BMI produced measurable increases in receptive field dimensions, but these changes were significantly smaller than the changes in rapidly-adapting neurons.

Structure-function relationships in the rat brainstem subnucleus interpolaris: VI. Cervical convergence in cells deafferented at birth and a potential primary afferent substrate.

Possible substrates for peripheral injury-induced receptive field (RF) changes were assessed in the trigeminal (V) subnucleus interpolaris (SpVi). In adult rats with infraorbital nerve section at birth, 449 cells were studied ipsilateral to the lesion by using electrophysiological methods. Of these, 33 (7.4%) had RFs that included facial vibrissae, guard hairs, and skin, as well as ipsilateral regions normally innervated by cervical primary afferents (ear, neck, shoulder, arm, forepaw). Such non-V convergence was never seen in 373 normal SpVi cells or in 641 V ganglion cells ipsilateral to the lesion. SpVi cells with cervical RFs discharged to V ganglion shocks and their latencies (1.6 +/- 0.7 ms, mean +/- s.d.) did not differ from normal (1.4 +/- 0.5). Most (71%) projected to the thalamus. None were nociceptive-biased, and many had unusually discontinuous RFs (48%). Possible pathways by which cervical inputs might reach SpVi neurons were investigated in additional anatomical and electrophysiological experiments. Eight SpVi cells with cervical RFs were intracellularly labeled with HRP. Although all had dendrites that were polarized toward SpVi regions containing spared mandibular and/or ophthalmic primary afferents, none had dendrites which extended out of SpVi. In other neonatally nerve-damaged adults, WGA-HRP was injected bilaterally into forepaw, arm, and shoulder regions. Transganglionic transport was restricted to normal targets. However, WGA-HRP injections into SpVi retrogradely labeled a total of 46 +/- 20 (mean +/- s.d.) cells in ipsilateral C1-3 dorsal root ganglia, and 24 +/- 8 cells in C4-8 ganglia. In controls, labeled cells were seen only in C1-3 ganglia (32 +/- 9). The distribution and number of labeled cells in the somatosensory cortex did not differ in experimental and control cases. No labeled cells were visible in the dorsal column nuclei of either the normal or experimental rats. Thus, retrograde labeling studies suggest that a cervical primary afferent projection to SpVi is a potential substrate for cervical convergence expressed in neonatally deafferented SpVi cells.

Dynamic receptive field plasticity in rat spinal cord dorsal horn following C-primary afferent input

The central terminals of cutaneous primary afferent neurons are spatially ordered in the dorsal horn in a highly organized fashion such that a point-to-point map represents the body surface. This afferent terminal somatotopic map correlates with the map of the receptive fields of the cells on which they terminate. The location, size and modality of the cutaneous receptive fields of dorsal horn neurons necessarily depend upon the anatomical presence of afferent nerve fibres which deliver information from the periphery, directly or indirectly, to the cells. However the receptive field size and modality of a cell do not depend only on anatomical connections. Excitatory and inhibitory interneurons, descending influences and facilitations or depressions of synaptic contacts can alter receptive field properties. Here we show that prolonged and substantial cutaneous receptive field changes can be produced by brief inputs from peripheral unmyelinated afferent fibres.

Classical conditioning rapidly induces specific changes in frequency receptive fields of single neurons in secondary and ventral ectosylvian auditory cortical fields

To determine if learning-induced changes in the response of auditory cortical neurons to a conditioned stimulus (CS) reflect general changes in cellular excitability or alterations in signal processing that are specific to that stimulus, we determined frequency receptive fields (FRFs) of single neurons in secondary and ventral ectosylvian auditory fields of the cat during classical conditioning. Associative changes in FRFs of most cells were specific to the frequency of the CS, established rapidly and reversed by extinction. Thus, learning causes specific changes in cortical processing of sounds whose significance is acquired.

Comparison of response properties of cells in the cat's visual cortex at high and low luminance levels.

Receptive-field organization of cells in the cat's striate cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) was investigated by using bars of light as stimuli. The aim was to determine if differences occur between conditions of high and low luminance levels. Of 72 cortical cells studied, the receptive fields of 63 were clearly different at high compared with low luminances. Units that gave on-off responses to flashed bars, for example, typically displayed on-only responses at low luminance. By far the most frequent change was that off responses were reduced or absent at low luminance levels. Of 63 cells that showed clear changes, 54 were of this type. This altered receptive-field organization appears to remain for extended periods (we have monitored the steady-state case for up to 2 h). Additional tests allow us to rule out the possible influence of overall changes in response strength and scattered light. To see if similar changes in receptive-field organization are present at the level of the LGN, we recorded from a small number of cells in the LGN (n = 10) and from an additional five afferent fibers in the cortex. In each case, there was a change in center-surround organization between high and low luminance levels similar to that previously reported for retinal ganglion cells. The excitatory responses from the surround for both on-center and off-center cells were absent at low luminance. Taken together, the results suggest that surround responses that can be elicited from ganglion cells and LGN cells make an important contribution to the receptive-field organization of cortical neurons. Changes in receptive-field organization of cortical cells are apparently not accompanied by alterations of other basic response properties. Orientation (7 cells) and spatial frequency (53 cells) selectivity remain relatively unchanged when measured at different luminances. Although optimal spatial frequency is slightly lower at low luminance levels, the low spatial frequency attenuation remains unaltered. Since receptive-field changes between high and low luminance levels suggest that a unit's classification may also vary, we examined simple and complex cell characteristics using sinusoidal gratings (65 cells). Contrary to what we had anticipated, the degree of modulation of responses was relatively independent of luminance, indicating that cell classification does not vary with stimulus luminance.

Prentice Award Lecture

00937002/85/6207—0427$02.00/0 AMERICAN JOURNAL or OPTOMETRY & PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS copyright © 1985 AMERICAN ACADEMY or OPTOMETRY | awards/honors A Vol. 62, No. 7, pp. 427-438 Printed in U. S.A. Prentice Award Lecture: A Simple Retinal Mechanism That Has Complex and Profound Effects on Perception TOM N. CORNSWEETq' School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California In the November 1984 issue of Scientific American, Lederman published an article called “The Value of Fundamental Science”; his first sentence says a lot of what I want to say. “One takes up fundamental science out of a sense of pure excitement, out of joy at enhancing human culture, out of awe at the heritage handed down by generations of masters and out of a need to publish first and become famous.“ The work I want to tell you about is exciting to me, and now, with this honor, I feel famous. It is unusual for a professional academy like this one, whose primary goal is and should be the advancement of a profession, to give its highest honor to people doing basic research. That says something special about this academy and its members. I feel highly honored by this award, and I am also very grateful. I suppose all of us like to think that the work we do is impor- tant, but not many of us are lucky enough to have somebody else say that they think what we do Is worth doing. That is very flattering and gratifying. Thank you. I would like to tell you about a theory of a Very Simple retinal mechanism that seems to explain many apparently complicated and un- related visual phenomena. I think it is interest- q18 because, even if the theory turns out to be ‘q0118 In the sense that perhaps there is no such mechanism actually in the retina, it does what 3“ 800d_theories do in that it reveals that what We previously thought were unrelated phenom- 9118 can all be manifestations of the same mech- T The Prentice Award Lecture, presented at the An- flufll Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry ‘HES; Louis, Missouri, December, 1984. ‘ ceived November 29, 1984. Pl‘-D-. Member of Faculty. anism; and, especially if some of the phenomena seemed complicated and the mechanism is sim- ple, then the world is easier to understand and our thinking is simplified. To me, that step in science, where a new theory seems to take a lot of messy pieces and melt them down to a single clear drop, is the essence of what is esthetically pleasing about science. (The next step, of course, is that your successors, or you if you’re lucky, look deeply into the drop and see a whole new set of messy pieces.) Most of the visual phenomena that I will talk about are probably familiar to you, but I will refresh your memory about them as we go along. They are light and dark adaptation, Weber’s law, Ricco’s law, brightness constancy, receptive field center-surround antagonism, Mach bands, and changes in acuity with luminance. Some of these phenomena are necessarily related to each other, in that if you have one, you almost have to have the other, and some are not necessarily related, but all of them can be explained by one simple retinal mechanism. And I would like to introduce the mechanism by talking about still another phenomenon that it explains, one that may actually be the fundamental reason why the mechanism evolved, and so may be the reason why all of the other phenomena occur. This fundamental phenomenon doesn’t have a name. It is the fact that people are a whole lot better at detecting objects in bright light than you would expect on the basis of their vision in dim light, and vice versa, that is, people do a whole lot better in dim light than you would expect them to do on the basis of how well they do in bright light. Let me explain that. A basic property of objects in the world is that they reflect fixed proportions of the light falling on them. Suppose your eyes were pointed at an 427

Structural changes in receptive fields of visual cortical neurons of lightly anesthetized cats.

1. Clear and significant changes in the dimensions, area, and shape of the receptive fields (RF), lasting 10–30 min after injection of sombrevin, were found in all cortical visual neurons studied. 2. Three types of dynamic changes were found in RF after injection of sombrevin: prolonged widening (up to 30 min), brief widening (up to 5–10 min), and prolonged narrowing (up to 20–30 min). 3. Considerable widening of RF (on average by 192%) takes place in 52% of neurons with a central excitatory zone of RF after injection of sombrevin, and significant narrowing of their excitatory centers (to 67%) is observed in 48% of cells. 4. Widening of RF is observed in 68% of neurons with a central inhibitory zone of RF (on average to 237%), and narrowing of RF is found in 32% (on average to 67%). 5. After injection of sombrevin sharper changes are observed in neurons with central inhibitory zones of RF.

Chronic peripheral nerve injuries alter the somatotopic organization of the cuneate nucleus in kittens

The effect of chronic peripheral nerve injuries on the somatotopic organization of the cuneate nucleus was examined in kittens, using electrophysiological techniques. In normal kittens, most cells in the dorsal part of the nucleus possessed small receptive fields on the ipsilateral front paw. Several weeks after paw denervation in young kittens, however, many cells in the corresponding dorsal part of the nucleus responded to tactile stimulation of the wrist, forearm, or trunk. Consistent with this change in receptive fields, the neurons in the dorsal part of the nucleus were more responsive to electrical stimulation of the medial cutaneous nerve, which innervates part of the forearm, in kittens after paw denervation than in control kittens. These somatotopic changes were not an artifact of severe atrophy of the dorsal part of the nucleus. This experiment confirms that after chronic peripheral nerve injuries, central somatosensory neurons can begin to respond to ascending afferent volleys originating from other undamaged peripheral axons, which were previously incapable of exciting the cells. Moreover, this change in functional connectivity is evident at the first synapse central to the injury site.

Types of receptive fields in the lateral geniculate body and their functional model.

In the Type I receptive fields (RFs) changes of the luminance leads to a shift of the curve relating the response and the stimulus area along the abscissa, in the Type II RFs the maximum of a response does not shift with changes of the luminance (Types I and II on classification by Glezer et al., 1971, 1972). The transient responses were observed in the Type I RFs and sustained responses in the Type II RFs. In the Type I RFs variation of the stimulus area and intensity brings about the change in the temporal and spatial frequency characteristics. This is produced by functional reorganization of the RF. In the Type II RFs there is no functional reorganization. The data obtained indicate that the Type I RFs are non-linear. By contrast, the Type II RFs are linear systems. The analysis of the model has shown that the distinctions in the dynamic characteristics of the responses of RFs belonging to different types is mainly due to different time constants for excitation and inhibition as well as inhibition coefficients. Distinctions in the mode of dependence of the RF response on stimulus parameters have been found to result from different relationship between delay time and stimulus parameters as well as different forms of the spatial weighting functions. It is shown that the Type I RFs transmit higher frequency components of the image spectrum, i.e. they emphasise the temporal and spatial contrasts. The Type II RFs transmit low frequency components of the spectrum including information about the intensity of an input stimulus.

Changes in receptive field of tectal neurons evoked by vestibular and acoustic stimulation in pigeons

Responses to visual, acoustic, and vestibular stimuli were studied in neurons of the middle and deep layers of the tectum in the pigeon. Changes in the receptive field (RF) were assessed from comparison of unit responses to isolated movement of a shaped visual stimulus with responses to movement of a stimulus during simultaneous action of a vestibular or acoustic stimulus. Changes in RF of the neuron could be observed during the action of both a vestibular and an acoustic stimulus. These changes affected the identification of the predominant direction of movement of the stimulus, the position of the maximum in the response histogram, and the duration and number of spikes in the response. The direction of change in RF of the neuron was found not necessarily to coincide with the sign of the response to the same neuron to isolated presentation of a vestibular or acoustic stimulus. It is postulated on the basis of the results and data in the literature that the tectum transforms the flow of impulses arriving from the retina depending on the nature of the information received by it from other sensory systems.

Receptive field changes produced in frog thalamic units by lesions of the optic tectum

Receptive field changes produced in frog thalamic units by lesions of the optic tectum

Sequential change in receptive fields of striate neurons in dark adapted cats.

1. A general purpose, digital computer was employed to map quantitatively the receptive fields of units in cat's striate cortex. 2. Receptive fields were studied as a function of barbiturate anesthetic level under dark adapted conditions. 3. Receptive fields obtained from lateral geniculate axons were topographically simple and usually represented a single peak with concentric zones of decreasing excitability. Such fields were stable under all anesthetic and electroencephalographic conditions. 4. Responses were recorded from striate cells, both simple and complex in the sense of Hubel and Wiesel. These demonstrated varied field configurations such as an excitatory cylinder in an inhibitory field, excitatory vertical axis flanked by asymmetric inhibitory areas, and more complex patterns including potentially direction and velocity sensitive ones. 5. Many cortical maps were unstable over time, especially in the presence of low voltage, fast electroencephalographic activity. Changes were not random nor did they represent simple linear displacements of peaks, but included axis shifts, gradient change, and expansion or contraction of excitatory and inhibitory zones with centers at fixed relative positions. 6. Heavy barbiturate anesthesia and spontaneous spindling in the EEG markedly reduced the variability in these maps; the encephale isole preparation was more stable than spinally intact animals. This association suggests a role of the midbrain reticular formation in cortical variability. 7. Random rather than iterative presentation of matrix points resulted in higher mean firing rates and more stable receptive fields, probably the result of photochemical recovery in dispersed receptors and time averaging of cellular excitability. 8. When stability was analyzed as a function of time interval of response (early on, late on, early off, late off), initial on responses were often more stable than longer latency late on- or off-responses. This factor, among others discussed, makes eye movement an unlikely explanation for map variability. It suggests additionally that late on- and off- responses represent input to the cortical cell from units other than those producing the early on-response. 9. The effects of pentobarbital, in addition to stabilization of the receptive field, included striking phase reversals in which inhibitory regions became excitatory and visa versa. Firing rate often changed substantially, but both increases and decreases were observed. 10. It is argued that visual response under pentobarbital is a special and not the general case of visual perception and that sequential receptive field changes during aroused brain states reflect integrative, purposive processes at the cortical level.

Changes of cutaneous receptive fields of spino-cervical-tract neurones and other dorsal horn neurones by microelectrophoretically administered amino acids.

Extracellular recording of 320 neurones in the dorsal horn (L 7) were performed in cats by means of multibarrelled electrodes. Changes of cutaneous receptive field size and responsiveness to tactile stimulation induced by microelectrophoretic application of exciting (glutamic acid — GLA; homocysteic acid — HCA) and depressing (glycine — GY; and gamma-amino-butyric acid — GABA) amino acids were studied on cells giving origin to the spino-cervical tract (SCT) as well as on other unidentified dorsal horn cells (NON-SCT-neurones). Two types of SCT-neurones were distinguished.

Development of neuronal connections with skin grafts in frogs: behavioral and electrophysiological studies.

AbstractThree types of skin grafts were made in frog tadpoles at various stages of development. Skin on the trunk was excised and replaced in a back‐to‐belly inverted position; or skin on the back was grafted in a head‐to‐tail inverted position; or small patches of back and belly skin were exchanged. During metamorphosis these animals devloped normal reflexes in response to stimulating the skin graft. Some days later, reflexes misdirected to the original position of the grafted skin occurred on stimulating back‐to‐belly inverted grafts made before larval stage XV. The area of skin giving rise to misdirected reflexes enlarged gradually to occupy most of the graft. Only normal reflexes were elicited from back‐to‐belly inverted grafts made after stage XV and from the other types of grafts made after stage I. Misdirected reflexes were permanent. However, re‐rotation of back‐to‐belly inverted grafts in adult frogs resulted in recovery of normal reflexes in some cases.The receptive fields of cutaneous nerves were mapped electrophysiologically and were similar in tadpoles and frogs with skin grafts and normal controls. No changes in receptive fields were detected during development of during the period when normal or misdirected reflexes appeared. We concluded that misdirected reflexes were not caused by changes in the peripheral receptive fields but were due to changes in the central nervous system which occurred after the sensory nerves had connected with the skin graft.

Fear and the modification of acoustically evoked potentials during conditioning.

Fear and the modification of acoustically evoked potentials during conditioning.R D Hall, and R G MarkR D Hall, and R G MarkPublished Online:01 Jul 1967https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1967.30.4.893MoreSectionsPDF (3 MB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInWeChat Previous Back to Top Next Download PDF FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation Cited ByPrelimbic NMDA receptors stimulation mimics the attenuating effects of clozapine on the auditory electrophysiological rebound induced by ketamine withdrawalNeuroToxicology, Vol. 69Neuronal signalling of fear memoryNature Reviews Neuroscience, Vol. 5, No. 11Intracortical auditory evoked potentials during classical aversive conditioning in catsBiological Psychology, Vol. 26, No. 1-3Hyperbaric effects on sensorimotor reactivity studied with acoustic startle in the ratPhysiology & Behavior, Vol. 42, No. 3Physiological plasticity in auditory cortex: Rapid induction by learningProgress in Neurobiology, Vol. 29, No. 1Neural substrates for tone-conditioned bradycardia demonstrated with 2-deoxyglucose. II. Auditory cortex plasticityBehavioural Brain Research, Vol. 20, No. 3Classical conditioning rapidly induces specific changes in frequency receptive fields of single neurons in secondary and ventral ectosylvian auditory cortical fieldsBrain Research, Vol. 372, No. 2Electrical activity of the reticular formation during aversive and appetitive conditioning in ratsBrain Research, Vol. 296, No. 2Evoked potential correlates of stimulation-induced impairment of attention in Macaca mulattaExperimental Neurology, Vol. 57, No. 1Aversive noise effects on performance and thalamocortical responsiveness in catsPhysiology & Behavior, Vol. 19, No. 4Evoked potential changes during classical conditioning of morphine in the awake, freely behaving ratExperimental Neurology, Vol. 55, No. 3Neurophysiology, neuropharmacology and behavioral relationships of visual system evoked after-discharges: A reviewBiobehavioral Reviews, Vol. 1, No. 2Plasticity of evoked potentials in the cat pulvinarBrain Research, Vol. 91, No. 2Habituation of aversive reticular stimulation effects on evoked potentialsBrain Research, Vol. 56Modification of unit discharges in the medial geniculate nucleus by click-shock pairingExperimental Neurology, Vol. 36, No. 1Studies of peripheral gating in the auditory system of catsElectroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Vol. 32, No. 5Relationships among unit discharge rate, pattern, and phasis arousal in the medial geniculate nucleus of the waking catExperimental Neurology, Vol. 35, No. 2Tegmental stimulation: aversive effects on behavior and modulation of visual evoked potentialsBrain Research, Vol. 37, No. 2Evoked responses and background unit activity during appetitive conditioning in dogsPhysiology & Behavior, Vol. 6, No. 1Changes in cortical and tegmental evoked responses to sensory stimuli reinforced by electrical stimulation of the area of recordingBrain Research, Vol. 19, No. 2Conditioned eye blink in the cat: evoked responses of short latencyBrain Research, Vol. 12, No. 1Pattern analysis of cortical evoked potential parameters during attention changesPhysiology & Behavior, Vol. 4, No. 1 More from this issue > Volume 30Issue 4July 1967Pages 893-910 https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1967.30.4.893PubMed6035696History Published online 1 July 1967 Published in print 1 July 1967 Metrics

Retinal receptive field changes produced by auditory and somatic stimulation

The existence of efferent influences on the cat retinal ganglion cell was shown in previous studies. Those experiments, utilizing both chronic macroelectrode and acute microelectrode techniques, demonstrated responses in the optic nerve to auditory and somatic stimuli. Afferent activity in the optic nerve was also found to be modified by these stimuli. The present experiments were undertaken as an extension of this effort. Retinal receptive fields were mapped in immobilized cats. The value of the mapping technique used for these experiments is that it provides an accurate definition of receptive field boundaries. Auditory or somatic stimuli were shown to induce reliable dimensional changes in 76% of the receptive fields examined. Changes in the firing strength of units were also produced by the nonvisual stimuli. These changes were not directly correlated with the dimensional changes observed. No lawful relationship was found between direction of change and the type of efferent stimulation or type of receptive field or both. Changes in receptive field dimension were also elicited by a change in ambient illumination. An interaction between the changes caused by nonvisual sensory stimulation and those brought about by a change in ambient illumination was found in two instances.

RECEPTIVE FIELDS OF OPTIC TRACT AXONS AND LATERAL GENICULATE CELLS: PERIPHERAL EXTENT AND BARBITURATE SENSITIVITY.

RECEPTIVE FIELDS OF OPTIC TRACT AXONS AND LATERAL GENICULATE CELLS: PERIPHERAL EXTENT AND BARBITURATE SENSITIVITY.