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More than meets the eye

Nature Neuroscience volume 19, pages 984–986 (2016)Cite this article

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Orientation selectivity in visual cortex is not simply the result of linear input summation. Instead, selectivity is enhanced by nonlinear dendritic transformation of spatially clustered, cotuned synaptic inputs.

Tuning for sensory stimulus features is a core element of sensory cortical function. Not only are individual cortical cells tuned (for example, for a visual orientation or a whisker deflection angle), but population tuning preferences are also mapped across the cortex1. In the visual cortex of many mammals, including primates, ferrets and cats, the overall retinotopic map encompasses pinwheel structures with gradual variation in orientation preference2. However, these highly organized and familiar elements of cortical function hide a perplexing mystery: what determines the degree of orientation selectivity in individual cells? In this issue, Wilson et al. provide a key piece of the puzzle3. Using a combination of in vivo two-photon imaging and intracellular electrophysiology, they identify a role for nonlinear dendritic integration in enhancing orientation selectivity in primary visual cortex neurons.

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Figure 1: Contribution of nonlinear dendritic input integration to orientation selectivity in primary visual cortex neurons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jessica A. Cardin is in the Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, and Kavli Institute of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,

    Jessica A Cardin

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  1. Jessica A Cardin
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Correspondence to Jessica A Cardin.

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Cardin, J. More than meets the eye. Nat Neurosci 19, 984–986 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4341

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