Spatio temporal receptive field
Encyclopedia
The spatio temporal receptive field (STRF) of a neuron
represents which types of stimuli excite or inhibit that neuron. If linearity is assumed, the neuron can be modelled as having a time-varying firing rate equal to the convolution
of the stimulus with the STRF.
from the area CM
of a male zebra finch
, when played conspecific birdsong. The colour of this plot shows the effect of sound on this neuron: this neuron tends to be excited by sound from about 2.5 kHz to 7 kHz heard by the animal 12 ms ago, but it is inhibited by sound in the same frequency range from about 18 ms ago.
This STRF was generated with http://strfpak.berkeley.edu/ STRFPAK: free software (registration required) to help estimate STRFs.
Neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...
represents which types of stimuli excite or inhibit that neuron. If linearity is assumed, the neuron can be modelled as having a time-varying firing rate equal to the convolution
Convolution
In mathematics and, in particular, functional analysis, convolution is a mathematical operation on two functions f and g, producing a third function that is typically viewed as a modified version of one of the original functions. Convolution is similar to cross-correlation...
of the stimulus with the STRF.
Auditory STRFs
The example STRF here is for an auditory neuronPrimary auditory cortex
The primary auditory cortex is the region of the brain that is responsible for the processing of auditory information. Corresponding roughly with Brodmann areas 41 and 42, it is located on the temporal lobe, and performs the basics of hearing—pitch and volume...
from the area CM
CM
- Places :* Cameroon, which has the ISO and FIPS country code "CM"** .cm, the country code top-level domain for Cameroon* Chelmsford, which has the British post code "CM"- Science :* Centimetre a unit of length equal to one hundredth of a metre...
of a male zebra finch
Zebra Finch
The Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata, is the most common and familiar estrildid finch of Central Australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and the tropical far north. It also can be found natively in Indonesia and East Timor...
, when played conspecific birdsong. The colour of this plot shows the effect of sound on this neuron: this neuron tends to be excited by sound from about 2.5 kHz to 7 kHz heard by the animal 12 ms ago, but it is inhibited by sound in the same frequency range from about 18 ms ago.
This STRF was generated with http://strfpak.berkeley.edu/ STRFPAK: free software (registration required) to help estimate STRFs.