3 Neural Processing and Perception Flashcards
Q: How do the numbers of ganglion cells compare to photoreceptors in the retina?
A: There are far fewer ganglion cells than photoreceptors in the retina.
Q: What is the primary function of ganglion cells in the retina?
A: Ganglion cells condense raw information from photoreceptors and aim to extract important information from the retinal image.
Q: What is single cell recording in the context of physiological studies?
A: Single cell recording involves inserting an electrode into a neuron to measure its electrical activity, capturing the activity of a single neuron.
Q: What does an increased rate of action potentials (APs) indicate in single cell recording?
A: An increased rate of APs indicates increased activity of the neuron.
Q: What happens to the voltage in a neuron during an action potential?
A: The voltage is highest in a neuron during an action potential.
Q: How is the activity of a ganglion cell recorded during experiments?
A: A stimulus is presented to an animal, and the activity of the ganglion cell is recorded to observe changes in its activity.
Q: What is baseline activity in a ganglion cell?
A: Baseline activity is the ganglion cell’s level of activity before any stimuli are presented.
Q: What do experimenters look for in ganglion cell responses to stimuli?
A: Experimenters look for changes in the activity of the ganglion cell, specifically an increase in the frequency of APs, indicating a response to the stimulus.
Q: How do action potentials change in response to stimuli?
A: The frequency of action potentials increases (excitatory response) or decreases (inhibitory response) in response to stimuli; the size of the APs does not change.
Q: What is an excitatory response in ganglion cells?
A: An excitatory response is an increase in the frequency of action potentials in response to a stimulus.
Q: What is an inhibitory response in ganglion cells?
A: An inhibitory response is a decrease in the frequency of action potentials in response to a stimulus.
Q: What happens when light hits the retina outside the ganglion cell?
A: When light hits the retina outside the ganglion cell, it suppresses the activity of the ganglion cell.
Q: What is a receptive field?
A: A receptive field is an area on the retina that, when stimulated by light, elicits a change in the firing rate of the cell.
Q: How are ganglion cells influenced by regions on the retina?
A: Due to convergence, ganglion cells are influenced by regions on the retina, with their receptive fields aligning with ganglion cells so that light passing through stimulates them.
Q: What are the two types of regions created by convergence in receptive fields?
A: Convergence creates excitatory and inhibitory regions within receptive fields.
