Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Recording Single Neurons' Action Potentials from Freely Moving Pigeons Across Three Stages of Learning
Published on: June 2, 2014
Visual responses of neurons in the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali to moving patterns within and beyond
1Laboratory for Visual Information Processing, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Large-field patterns are effective stimuli for eliciting visual responses from neurons in the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali of nonmammals. The present study shows that stimulation beyond the receptive field does not contribute to the visual responses of neurons in the nucleus lentiformis mesencephali in two respects. First, changes in the direction and velocity of motion beyond the receptive field did not affect the visual responses of the pretectal cells to motion within the receptive field. Second, time differences in the onset of stimulation within and outside the receptive field did not influence the visual responses of the pretectal cells to motion in the receptive field, implying that there may be no long-range interaction between the receptive field and its surrounding field. The present study also indicates that the pretectal cells are not only sensitive to the direction and velocity of motion, but also to the size and density of dots in a random-dot pattern moving through the receptive field. Taken together with previous studies, these results suggest that the receptive field of the pretectal cells within the nucleus lentiformis mesencephali is large in size but well defined in boundaries, and that the pretectal cells respond to motion of visual stimuli within but not beyond their receptive fields.
Related Concept Videos
Vision
Anatomy of the Eyeball
Visual System
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay
The Retina
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

