The Emergence of Contrast-Invariant Orientation Tuning in Simple Cells of Cat Visual Cortex
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Simple cells in primary visual cortex exhibit contrast-invariant orientation tuning, in seeming contradiction to feed-forward models that rely on lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) input alone. Contrast invariance has therefore been thought to depend on the presence of intracortical lateral inhibition. In vivo intracellular recordings instead suggest that contrast invariance can be explained by three properties of the excitatory pathway. (1) Depolarizations evoked by orthogonal stimuli are determined by the amount of excitation a cell receives from the LGN, relative to the excitation it receives from other cortical cells. (2) Depolarizations evoked by preferred stimuli saturate at lower contrasts than the spike output of LGN relay cells. (3) Visual stimuli evoke contrast-dependent changes in trial-to-trial variability, which lead to contrast-dependent changes in the relationship between membrane potential and spike rate. Thus, high-contrast, orthogonally oriented stimuli that evoke significant depolarizations evoke few spikes. Together these mechanisms, without lateral inhibition, can account for contrast-invariant stimulus selectivity.
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Contrast-invariant orientation tuning of cortical neurons for visual stimuli is a well-characterized example of stable encoding of orientation regardless of changes in contrast.
“Contrast-invariant orientation tuning of cortical neurons for visual stimuli is a well-characterized example of stable encoding of one feature (in this case, orientation), regardless of changes in stimulus context (in this case, contrast)10–12.”
From Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex (2020) · cites this paper as [10]
Vm fluctuations may contribute to contrast-invariant tuning in neurons of the visual cortex of cats and rodents.
“These fluctuations may contribute to contrast-invariant tuning in neurons of the visual cortex of cats and rodents10,13,63,64.”
From Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex (2020) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Finn, I. M., Priebe, N. J., & Ferster, D.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ferster, David
- ORCID
- Priebe, Nicholas J.
- Venue
- Neuron
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 137-152
- ISSN
- 0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC1993919
- OpenAlex
- W2146353372
- Cited by
- 248
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 7.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (vor, 2335 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Neuron (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (P20 MH066239)
- National Eye Institute (R01 EY04726)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- contrast invariance, orientation tuning, simple cells, primary visual cortex, lateral geniculate nucleus, depolarization, spike frequency, trial-to-trial variability, membrane potential, feedforward models, cats
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cats, Female, Geniculate Bodies, Membrane Potentials, Models, Neurological, Neural Inhibition, Neurons, Orientation, Photic Stimulation, Visual Cortex, Visual Pathways, Contrast Sensitivity, Patch-Clamp Techniques
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