Omparative Study on the Offset Responses of Simple Ells and Complex Cells in the Primary Visual Cortex F the Cat

bstract—Simple and complex cells are two basic and inct functional types of neurons in the mammalian prim isual cortex. Here, we studied the onset response and ffset response of simple and complex cells to a flas isual stimulus in the cat’s area 17. Compared with si ells, complex cells exhibited greater similarity between nset and offset responses in peak latency. For simple c nset response had greater peak amplitude and signa oise ratio than offset response, and for complex cells, ersa. For both types of cortical cells, the amplitude of esponses increased with stimulus duration within 100 ignificantly, while the onset response did not. However licit a detectable offset response, complex cells tended equire shorter stimulus duration than simple cells did egard to the similarity of psychophysical data, these res uggest that the rebound offset response of cortical cel isappearance of a visual pattern might be correlated isual persistence in humans. © 2008 IBRO. Published lsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.