Abstract
The range of natural inputs encoded by a neuron often exceeds its dynamic range. To overcome this limitation, neural populations divide their inputs among different cell classes, as with rod and cone photoreceptors, and adapt by shifting their dynamic range. We report that the dynamic behavior of retinal ganglion cells in salamanders, mice and rabbits is divided into two opposing forms of short-term plasticity in different cell classes. One population of cells exhibited sensitization—a persistent elevated sensitivity following a strong stimulus. This newly observed dynamic behavior compensates for the information loss caused by the known process of adaptation occurring in a separate cell population. The two populations divide the dynamic range of inputs, with sensitizing cells encoding weak signals and adapting cells encoding strong signals. In the two populations, the linear, threshold and adaptive properties are linked to preserve responsiveness when stimulus statistics change, with one population maintaining the ability to respond when the other fails.
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Acknowledgements
We thank E. Knudsen and W.T. Newsome for comments on the manuscript; D. Baylor, R.W. Tsien, B. Wandell, P. Jadzinsky, A.L. Fairhall, F. Rieke, D.S. Fisher and K.D. Miller for discussions; and Y. Ozuysal and A. Huberman for technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the US National Eye Institute, Pew Charitable Trusts, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience, Karl Kirchgessner Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (S.A.B.); and by the Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program and a US National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (D.B.K.). Rabbit experiments were performed in the laboratory of M. Meister at Harvard University.
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D.B.K. and S.A.B. designed the study, D.B.K. performed the experiments and analysis, and D.B.K. and S.A.B. wrote the manuscript.
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Kastner, D., Baccus, S. Coordinated dynamic encoding in the retina using opposing forms of plasticity. Nat Neurosci 14, 1317–1322 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2906
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2906
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