Gain, noise, and contrast sensitivity of linear visual neurons
Abstract
Contrast sensitivity is a measure of the ability of an observer to detect contrast signals of particular spatial and temporal frequencies. A formal definition of contrast sensitivity that can be applied to individual linear visual neurons is derived. A neuron is modeled by a contrast transfer function and its modulus, contrast gain, and by a noise power spectrum. The distributions of neural responses to signal and blank presentations are derived, and from these, a definition of contrast sensitivity is obtained. This formal definition may be used to relate the sensitivities of various populations of neurons, and to relate the sensitivities of neurons to that of the behaving animal.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Several studies have found good agreement between population-level responses of gain-modulated neurons and psychophysical performance in visual contrast discrimination in humans and non-human primates.
“Indeed, several studies have found good agreement between the population-level responses of gain-modulated neurons (such as the population-average contrast response function) and psychophysical performance (for example, in visual contrast discrimination) in humans and non-human primates12,20–24.”
From Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex (2020) · cites this paper as [24]
Cites
Probability, Random Variables, and Stochastic Processes.
Abrahams, J., & Papoulis, A. (1984) · Journal of the American Statistical Association · doi:10.2307/2288754 · Cited by 16,326 · see citing works
A Statistical Distribution Function of Wide Applicability
Weibull, W. (1951) · Journal of Applied Mechanics · doi:10.1115/1.4010337 · Cited by 11,666 · see citing works
(1966) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 10,293 · see citing works
Signal detection theory and psychophysics
Ingleby, D. (1967) · Journal of Sound and Vibration · doi:10.1016/0022-460x(67)90197-6 · Cited by 8,616 · see citing works
Mathematica. A system for doing mathematics by computer
Wolfram, S. (1988) · Virtual Defense Library (Ministerio de Defensa) · Cited by 2,813 · see citing works
Quest: A Bayesian adaptive psychometric method
Watson, A. B., & Pelli, D. G. (1983) · Perception & Psychophysics · doi:10.3758/bf03202828 · Cited by 2,398 · see citing works
Self-citationProbability, Random Variables, and Stochastic Processes
Miller, I. (1966) · Technometrics · doi:10.1080/00401706.1966.10490365 · Cited by 2,037 · see citing works
Parzen, E. (1999) · doi:10.1137/1.9781611971125 · Cited by 1,389 · see citing works
The Staircase-Method in Psychophysics
Cornsweet, T. N. (1962) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1419876 · Cited by 1,346 · see citing works
SEQUENTIAL ESTIMATION OF POINTS ON A PSYCHOMETRIC FUNCTION
Wetherill, G. B., & Levitt, H. (1965) · British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8317.1965.tb00689.x · Cited by 1,204 · see citing works
Spatial and temporal contrast sensitivities of neurones in lateral geniculate nucleus of macaque.
Derrington, A. M., & Lennie, P. (1984) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1984.sp015498 · Cited by 1,059 · see citing works
The statistical reliability of signals in single neurons in cat and monkey visual cortex
Tolhurst, D. J., Movshon, J. A., & Dean, A. F. (1983) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/0042-6989(83)90200-6 · Cited by 982 · see citing works
Mathematica--A System for Doing Mathematics by Computer.
Kroll, L. S. (1989) · American Mathematical Monthly · doi:10.2307/2324863 · Cited by 788 · see citing works
Uncertainty explains many aspects of visual contrast detection and discrimination
Pelli, D. G. (1985) · Journal of the Optical Society of America A · doi:10.1364/josaa.2.001508 · Cited by 689 · see citing works
Probability summation and regional variation in contrast sensitivity across the visual field
Robson, J. G., & Graham, N. (1981) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/0042-6989(81)90169-3 · Cited by 639 · see citing works
Probability summation over time.
Watson, A. (1979) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/0042-6989(79)90136-6 · Cited by 626 · see citing works
Self-citation- Introduction to Communication Systems
Corinthios, M. (2018) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/9781315218533-17 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
Tolhurst, D. J., Movshon, J. A., & Thompson, I. D. (1981) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00238900 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Spatio‐temporal interactions in cat retinal ganglion cells showing linear spatial summation.
Enroth‐Cugell, C., Robson, J. G., Schweitzer‐Tong, D. E., & Watson, A. B. (1983) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014806 · Cited by 254 · see citing works
Self-citationThree factors limiting the reliable detection of light by retinal ganglion cells of the cat
Barlow, H. B., & Levick, W. R. (1969) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1969.sp008679 · Cited by 251 · see citing works
A vector-magnitude model of contrast detection
Quick, R. (2004) · Kybernetik · doi:10.1007/bf00271628 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
The variability of discharge of simple cells in the cat striate cortex
Dean, A. F. (1981) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00238837 · Cited by 231 · see citing works
On the psychometric function for contrast detection
Nachmias, J. (1981) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/0042-6989(81)90115-2 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
Maintained activity of cat retinal ganglion cells.
Rodieck, R. W. (1967) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.1967.30.5.1043 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Derrington, A. M., & Lennie, P. (1982) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1982.sp014457 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Hawken, M. J., & Parker, A. J. (1984) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00236238 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Visual cortical receptive fields in monkey and cat: Spatial and temporal phase transfer function
Hamilton, D. B., Albrecht, D. G., & Geisler, W. S. (1989) · Vision Research · doi:10.1016/0042-6989(89)90186-7 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
The method of constant stimuli is inefficient
Watson, A. B., & Fitzhugh, A. E. (1990) · Perception & Psychophysics · doi:10.3758/bf03208169 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Self-citationTroy, J. B. (1983) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014948 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
MacGregor, R. J., & Lewis, E. R. (1977) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-2190-3 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Parallel psychometric functions from a set of independent detectors.
Green, D. M., & Luce, R. D. (1975) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037//0033-295x.82.6.483 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Parallel psychometric functions from a set of independent detectors.
Green, D. M., & Luce, R. D. (1975) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.82.6.483 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Nature of the maintained discharge of Q, X, and Y retinal ganglion cells of the cat
Robson, J. G., & Troy, J. B. (1987) · Journal of the Optical Society of America A · doi:10.1364/josaa.4.002301 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Statistics of the maintained discharge of cat retinal ganglion cells.
Frishman, L. J., & Levine, M. W. (1983) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014728 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
The variability of the maintained discharge of cat dorsal lateral geniculate cells.
Levine, M. W., & Troy, J. B. (1986) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1986.sp016120 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Spatio‐temporal interaction in neurones of the cat's dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus.
Troy, J. B. (1983) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014949 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Mechanisms underlying gain modulation in the cortex
Ferguson, K. A., & Cardin, J. A. (2020) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-019-0253-y · Cited by 327 · see citing works
- Authors
- Watson, A. B.
- Affiliations
- Ames Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Watson, Andrew B.
- ORCID
- Watson, Andrew B.
- Venue
- Visual Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Maximum Academic Press
- Published
- 1990-02
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 02
- Pages
- 147-157
- ISSN
- 0952-5238 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8714
- OpenAlex
- W1967305522
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2020: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Visual Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- contrast sensitivity, contrast transfer function, contrast gain, noise power spectrum, signal detection, single neuron model
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Fourier Analysis, Mathematics, Models, Biological, Neurons, Psychophysics, Retina, Contrast Sensitivity
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
