The fine structure of the receptive fields of visually driven neurons in the cat’s lateral suprasylvian area

Abstract

The fine structure of the receptive fields of the lateral suprasylvian area neurons was investigated in the pretrigeminal cat preparation. A majority of the receptive fields consisted of subregions with different qualitative characteristics according to their response to moving visual stimuli. There was an asymmetry in the spatial distribution of inhibitory mechanisms over the receptive field. The steady illumination of the receptive field usually enhanced the inhibitory processes, whereas darkness, decreased the effectivity of inhibitory influences on the neuron. Some receptive fields of neurons reacted vigorously to the motion of borders of visual stimuli. It is suggested that the differences in response patterns to moving stimuli depend in part on the heterogenous fine structure of their receptive fields.