Adaptation of the spike-frequency response to constant stimulation, as observed on various timescales in many neurons, reflects high-pass filter properties of a neuron's transfer function. Adaptation in general, however, is not sufficient to make a neuron's response independent of the mean intensity of a sensory stimulus, since low frequency components of the stimulus are still transmitted, although with reduced gain. We here show, based on an analytically tractable model, that the response of a neuron is intensity invariant, if the fully adapted steady-state spike-frequency response to constant stimuli is independent of stimulus intensity. Electrophysiological recordings from the AN1, a primary auditory interneuron of crickets, show that for intensities above 60 dB SPL (sound pressure level) the AN1 adapted with a time-constant of approximately 40 ms to a steady-state firing rate of approximately 100 Hz. Using identical random amplitude-modulation stimuli we verified that the AN1's spike-frequency response is indeed invariant to the stimulus' mean intensity above 60 dB SPL. The transfer function of the AN1 is a band pass, resulting from a high-pass filter (cutoff frequency at 4 Hz) due to adaptation and a low-pass filter (100 Hz) determined by the steady-state spike frequency. Thus, fast spike-frequency adaptation can generate intensity invariance already at the first level of neural processing.
%0 Journal Article
%1 Benda:2008p44833
%A Benda, Jan
%A Hennig, R Matthias
%D 2008
%J J Comp Neurosci
%K Acoustic Action Adaptation: Animals, Auditory Cortex Dose-Response Factors, Gryllidae, Interneurons, Models: Neurological, Pathways, Physiological, Potentials, Radiation, Reaction Relationship: Stimulation, Threshold, Time Time,
%N 2
%P 113--36
%R 10.1007/s10827-007-0044-8
%T Spike-frequency adaptation generates intensity invariance in a primary auditory interneuron
%V 24
%X Adaptation of the spike-frequency response to constant stimulation, as observed on various timescales in many neurons, reflects high-pass filter properties of a neuron's transfer function. Adaptation in general, however, is not sufficient to make a neuron's response independent of the mean intensity of a sensory stimulus, since low frequency components of the stimulus are still transmitted, although with reduced gain. We here show, based on an analytically tractable model, that the response of a neuron is intensity invariant, if the fully adapted steady-state spike-frequency response to constant stimuli is independent of stimulus intensity. Electrophysiological recordings from the AN1, a primary auditory interneuron of crickets, show that for intensities above 60 dB SPL (sound pressure level) the AN1 adapted with a time-constant of approximately 40 ms to a steady-state firing rate of approximately 100 Hz. Using identical random amplitude-modulation stimuli we verified that the AN1's spike-frequency response is indeed invariant to the stimulus' mean intensity above 60 dB SPL. The transfer function of the AN1 is a band pass, resulting from a high-pass filter (cutoff frequency at 4 Hz) due to adaptation and a low-pass filter (100 Hz) determined by the steady-state spike frequency. Thus, fast spike-frequency adaptation can generate intensity invariance already at the first level of neural processing.
@article{Benda:2008p44833,
abstract = {Adaptation of the spike-frequency response to constant stimulation, as observed on various timescales in many neurons, reflects high-pass filter properties of a neuron's transfer function. Adaptation in general, however, is not sufficient to make a neuron's response independent of the mean intensity of a sensory stimulus, since low frequency components of the stimulus are still transmitted, although with reduced gain. We here show, based on an analytically tractable model, that the response of a neuron is intensity invariant, if the fully adapted steady-state spike-frequency response to constant stimuli is independent of stimulus intensity. Electrophysiological recordings from the AN1, a primary auditory interneuron of crickets, show that for intensities above 60 dB SPL (sound pressure level) the AN1 adapted with a time-constant of approximately 40 ms to a steady-state firing rate of approximately 100 Hz. Using identical random amplitude-modulation stimuli we verified that the AN1's spike-frequency response is indeed invariant to the stimulus' mean intensity above 60 dB SPL. The transfer function of the AN1 is a band pass, resulting from a high-pass filter (cutoff frequency at 4 Hz) due to adaptation and a low-pass filter (100 Hz) determined by the steady-state spike frequency. Thus, fast spike-frequency adaptation can generate intensity invariance already at the first level of neural processing.},
added-at = {2009-11-12T16:21:13.000+0100},
affiliation = {Institute for Theoretical Biology, Biology Department, Humboldt University, Invalidenstr. 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany. j.benda@biologie.hu-berlin.de},
author = {Benda, Jan and Hennig, R Matthias},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/210fcd907d6f4b1b6c732fe7871b9529d/fdiehl},
date-added = {2009-09-23 23:11:44 +0200},
date-modified = {2009-11-10 09:45:01 +0100},
description = {bib-komplett},
doi = {10.1007/s10827-007-0044-8},
interhash = {b0dd564d09b1eb2d89c1a91e14fc52ff},
intrahash = {10fcd907d6f4b1b6c732fe7871b9529d},
journal = {J Comp Neurosci},
keywords = {Acoustic Action Adaptation: Animals, Auditory Cortex Dose-Response Factors, Gryllidae, Interneurons, Models: Neurological, Pathways, Physiological, Potentials, Radiation, Reaction Relationship: Stimulation, Threshold, Time Time,},
language = {eng},
local-url = {file://localhost/Neurobio/Papers/17534706.pdf},
month = Apr,
number = 2,
pages = {113--36},
pmid = {17534706},
rating = {0},
timestamp = {2009-11-12T16:21:23.000+0100},
title = {Spike-frequency adaptation generates intensity invariance in a primary auditory interneuron},
uri = {papers://7B65697B-E216-4648-8A41-C67830C0DC73/Paper/p44833},
volume = 24,
year = 2008
}