| Conditional perception under stimulus ambiguity: polarization- and azimuth-sensitive neurons in the locust brain are inhibited by low degrees of polarization. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 20962068 Owner: NLM Status: In-Process |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Sensory perception often relies on the integration and matching of multisensory inputs. In the brain of desert locusts, identified neurons that signal the sun's direction relative to the animal's head integrate information about the polarization pattern of the sky with information on the color and intensity contrast of the sky. The cloudless blue sky exhibits a gradient from unpolarized sunlight to strongly polarized light at 90° from the sun. Therefore the percentage of polarized light in the sky is highest at dusk and dawn and lowest when the sun is in the zenith. We investigated the effect of different degrees of polarization on neurons of the anterior optic tubercle of the desert locust through intracellular recordings. Whereas dorsal presentation of strongly polarized light largely excited the neurons, weakly polarized light, i.e., a blend of polarized light of many orientations, led to inhibition. The data suggest that the polarization input to these neurons is inhibited within a radius of 50° around the sun, thereby avoiding conflicting input from the polarization and direct sunlight channels. These properties can be regarded as sensory filters to avoid ambiguous signaling during sky compass orientation. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Keram Pfeiffer; Mario Negrello; Uwe Homberg |
Related Documents
:
|
19159158 - Competition between multiple causes of a single outcome in causal reasoning. 20829898 - Measuring humidity with planar polyimide light guides. 16799688 - Underwater light polarization and radiance fluctuations induced by surface waves. 19037338 - Antisolar halospot. 7067788 - An "oblique effect" in the visual evoked potential of the cat. 12223828 - Impacts of co2 enrichment on productivity and light requirements of eelgrass. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2010-10-20 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Journal of neurophysiology Volume: 105 ISSN: 1522-1598 ISO Abbreviation: J. Neurophysiol. Publication Date: 2011 Jan |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-01-12 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0375404 Medline TA: J Neurophysiol Country: United States |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 28-35 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Department of Biology, Animal Physiology, 35032 Marburg, Germany. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Oscillatory entrainment of thalamic neurons by theta rhythm in freely moving rats.
Next Document: Behavior of the oculomotor vermis for five different types of saccade.