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Published May 1, 1983 | Published
Journal Article Open

Nonlinear Interactions in a Dendritic Tree: Localization, Timing, and Role in Information Processing

Abstract

In a passive dendritic tree, inhibitory synaptic inputs activating ionic conductances with an equilibrium potential near the resting potential can effectively veto excitatory inputs. Analog interactions of this type can be very powerful if the inputs are appropriately timed and occur at certain locations. We examine with computer simulations the precise conditions required for strong and specific interactions in the case of a delta-like ganglion cell of the cat retina. We find some critical conditions to be that (i) the peak inhibitory conductance changes must be sufficiently large (i.e., approximately equal to 50 nS or more), (ii) inhibition must be on the direct path from the location of excitation to the soma, and (iii) the time course of excitation and inhibition must substantially overlap. Analog AND-NOT operations realized by satisfying these conditions may underlie direction selectivity in ganglion cells.

Additional Information

We thank H. Barlow, D. Baylor, B. B. Boycott, F. H. Crick, K. K. Nielsen, W. Reichardt, B. Rosser, and H. Wassle for many discussions and suggestions. The research described was done at the Max-Planck- Institut fur Biologische Kybernetik and at the Department of Psychology and the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. C. K. was supported by a fellowship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and is currently supported by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung. Support for the artificial intelligence research at the laboratory is provided by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense under Office of Naval Research Contract N00014-75-C-0643; this work was supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant MCS-79-23110. Travel for collaboration purposes was supported by North Atlantic Treaty Organization Grant 237.81.

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September 15, 2023
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