| Central neural coding of sky polarization in insects. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21282171 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Many animals rely on a sun compass for spatial orientation and long-range navigation. In addition to the Sun, insects also exploit the polarization pattern and chromatic gradient of the sky for estimating navigational directions. Analysis of polarization-vision pathways in locusts and crickets has shed first light on brain areas involved in sky compass orientation. Detection of sky polarization relies on specialized photoreceptor cells in a small dorsal rim area of the compound eye. Brain areas involved in polarization processing include parts of the lamina, medulla and lobula of the optic lobe and, in the central brain, the anterior optic tubercle, the lateral accessory lobe and the central complex. In the optic lobe, polarization sensitivity and contrast are enhanced through convergence and opponency. In the anterior optic tubercle, polarized-light signals are integrated with information on the chromatic contrast of the sky. Tubercle neurons combine responses to the UV/green contrast and e-vector orientation of the sky and compensate for diurnal changes of the celestial polarization pattern associated with changes in solar elevation. In the central complex, a topographic representation of e-vector tunings underlies the columnar organization and suggests that this brain area serves as an internal compass coding for spatial directions. |
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Authors:
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Uwe Homberg; Stanley Heinze; Keram Pfeiffer; Michiyo Kinoshita; Basil el Jundi |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences Volume: 366 ISSN: 1471-2970 ISO Abbreviation: Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., B, Biol. Sci. Publication Date: 2011 Mar |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2011-02-01 Completed Date: 2011-07-13 Revised Date: 2012-03-12 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7503623 Medline TA: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 680-7 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, University of Marburg, 35032 Marburg, Germany. homberg@staff.uni-marburg.de |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Brain / physiology* Insects / physiology* Optic Lobe, Nonmammalian / physiology* Photoreceptor Cells / physiology Sensory Receptor Cells / physiology Visual Pathways / physiology* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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