Fundamental filter properties of spiking neurons don’t constrain detectability of communication signals in weakly electric fish
نویسندگان
چکیده
Many experimental studies demonstrate a match between the transfer function of sensory neurons and the statistics of natural stimuli. However, neurons might not be able to adapt to any given stimulus statistics due to very basic constraints. The high-pass nature of spike-frequency adaptation (Benda and Herz, 2003) emphasizes fast stimulus components over slow stimuli (Benda et al., 2005). The cut-off frequency separating fast from slow stimuli is set by the adaptation time constant. In addition, a low-pass filter due to the interspike intervals limits information transmission at high frequencies (Knight, 1972). This low-pass filter might constrain the high-pass filter in optimally adapting its cutoff-frequency. First, we introduce the basic filter properties of adapting neurons. We then present data and simulations from electroreceptors of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus demonstrating that the actual cut-off frequency of the high-pass filter is not constrained by the low-pass filter.
منابع مشابه
From Burden to Benefits
Weakly electric fish generate an electric field, called electric organ discharge (EOD), that they use for active electrosensation. This system is used for both object localisation and electrocommunication. Both, objects that are close to the fish and the EODs of other nearby electric fish, modulate the amplitude of a fish’s EOD. Localisation signals are low in amplitude and frequency whereas el...
متن کاملEncoding of social signals in all three electrosensory pathways of Eigenmannia virescens.
Extracting complementary features in parallel pathways is a widely used strategy for a robust representation of sensory signals. Weakly electric fish offer the rare opportunity to study complementary encoding of social signals in all of its electrosensory pathways. Electrosensory information is conveyed in three parallel pathways: two receptor types of the tuberous (active) system and one recep...
متن کاملA fast BK-type KCa current acts as a postsynaptic modulator of temporal selectivity for communication signals
Temporal patterns of spiking often convey behaviorally relevant information. Various synaptic mechanisms and intrinsic membrane properties can influence neuronal selectivity to temporal patterns of input. However, little is known about how synaptic mechanisms and intrinsic properties together determine the temporal selectivity of neuronal output. We tackled this question by recording from midbr...
متن کاملFood deprivation reduces and leptin increases the amplitude of an active sensory and communication signal in a weakly electric fish
Energetic demands of social communication signals can constrain signal duration, repetition, and magnitude. The metabolic costs of communication signals are further magnified when they are coupled to active sensory systems that require constant signal generation. Under such circumstances, metabolic stress incurs additional risk because energy shortfalls could degrade sensory system performance ...
متن کاملBehavioral and Single-Neuron Sensitivity to Millisecond Variations in Temporally Patterned Communication Signals.
UNLABELLED In many sensory pathways, central neurons serve as temporal filters for timing patterns in communication signals. However, how a population of neurons with diverse temporal filtering properties codes for natural variation in communication signals is unknown. Here we addressed this question in the weakly electric fish Brienomyrus brachyistius, which varies the time intervals between s...
متن کامل