B responds at its base rate. The bottom line is that Neuron B is a detector. “3-receptor-length” It responds best when a line that is exactly 3 receptors long is presented. If the line is shorter than 3 or than 3, its response longer diminishes. So by monitoring the output of neuron B, the visual system knows whether the bar of light striking the receptors is 3 units long or not. If B’s response is 3 or close to it, then that indicates that the bar is 3 units long. But if B’s response is lower than 3, then that indicates that the bar is not 3. Now multiple this circuit by several million each one responding to a different length. – Then add even more millions monitoring the output of those neurons. Ultimately, you have the central nervous system.
B responds at its base rate. The bottom line is that Neuron B is a “3-receptor-length” detector. It responds best when a line that is exactly 3 receptors long is presented. If the line is shorter than 3 or longer than 3, its response diminishes. So by monitoring the output of neuron B, the visual system knows whether the bar of light striking the receptors is 3 units long or not. If B’s response is 3 or close to it, then that indicates that the bar is 3 units long. But if B’s response is lower than 3, then that indicates that the bar is not 3. Now multiple this circuit by several million – each one responding to a different length. Then add even more millions monitoring the output of those neurons. Ultimately, you have the central nervous system.
p3120_ch03a_lateral_inhibition.docx