Receptive field

A receptive field is the region of sensory space where a stimulus changes the activity of a particular neuron. Its size and organization depend on the sensory system and the neuron’s position in it.

Center-surround receptive field: A receptive field with a center and surrounding region that respond oppositely to a stimulus. Retinal neurons use this arrangement to emphasize local contrast rather than uniform illumination.
Sensory neuron: A neuron that detects or carries information about stimuli from the body or environment. A receptive field is defined relative to the sensory neuron whose activity is measured.
Visual field: The region of space visible to an eye at a given moment while gaze is held steady. Visual receptive fields specify which parts of this space influence individual neurons.
Receptive field (vision): The region of the visual field that alters the response of a particular visual neuron. Visual receptive fields are a specific case of receptive fields across sensory systems.
Lateral inhibition: A neural process in which activity in one pathway suppresses activity in neighboring pathways. It helps create antagonistic center and surround responses in early sensory circuits.
Action potential: A brief electrical impulse that travels along a neuron’s membrane. Changes in a neuron’s firing provide a common measure of receptive-field responses.
Somatosensory system: The nervous system’s processing of touch, temperature, pain, and body position. Touch neurons have receptive fields on the skin or within deeper tissues.
Tuning curve: A plot of a neuron’s response as a stimulus feature, such as orientation or frequency, varies. A tuning curve describes preference for a stimulus feature, not the spatial region producing a response.
Convergence (neurobiology): The input of multiple neurons onto a single neuron. Converging inputs can combine signals from separate locations into one larger receptive field.
Stimulus-response curve: A function describing how a system’s response changes as stimulus strength or another stimulus property varies. Mapping a receptive field requires relating stimulus position to the neuron’s response.

Linked from 21 pages