What Happens During Lateral Inhibition?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Lateral inhibition makes

neurons more sensitive to spatially varying of stimulus than to spatially uniform stimulus

. This is because a neuron getting stimulated by a spatially uniform stimulus is also inhibited by its surrounding neurons, thus suppressing its response.

How do you explain lateral inhibition?

Definition. Lateral inhibition refers to

the capacity of excited neurons to reduce the activity of their neighbors

. Neurons that are firing inhibit the stimulation of surrounding. Accordingly, only the neurons that are most stimulated and least inhibited respond.

What happens in the retina during lateral inhibition?

Lateral inhibition

increases the contrast and sharpness in visual response

. This phenomenon already occurs in the mammalian retina. In the dark, a small light stimulus will enhance the different photoreceptors (rod cells). … This contrast between the light and dark creates a sharper image.

Why is lateral inhibition so important in vision?

Lateral inhibition plays an important role in

visual perception by increasing the contrast and resolution of visual stimuli

. This occurs at various levels of the visual system.

What causes lateral inhibition in a retinal circuit?

Lateral inhibition in the retina occurs as the

feedback from the interneurons, horizontal cells and amacrine cells

, which receive excitatory inputs from photoreceptors and bipolar cells, respectively, inhibit the excited photoreceptors and bipolar cells and their neighborhood.

Is lateral inhibition permissive or instructive?

Permissive induction occurs where the responding cell is already committed to a certain fate, and requires the inducing signal to proceed in the developmental pathway. Lateral inhibition is the

inhibition of a certain developmental process in one cell induced by signals from an adjacent

cell.

Does lateral inhibition increase acuity?

Lateral inhibition is the ability of excited neurones to inhibit the activity of neighbouring neurones. This prevents the spread of neuronal activity laterally. Consequently, there exists an

increased contrast in excitation between neighbouring neurones

, allowing better sensory acuity.

Is lateral inhibition important for detecting edges?

The goal of lateral inhibition is

to facilitate edge detection

. … It is for this reason that edge detection evolved. Lateral inhibition explains a famous visual illusion known as Mach bands, named after their discoverer, Physicist Ernst Mach (1838–1916). Lateral inhibition accentuates the edges of the stimulus.

What is lateral interaction?

Lateral interactions

occur at all levels in the retina

, from the Photoreceptors, the input neurons of the retina, through to ganglion cells ( Retinal ganglion cells), the output neurons of the retina. Lateral interactions may be positive or negative.

What is Mach band effect in digital image processing?

Mach bands or the Mach effect refers to

an optical phenomenon from edge enhancement due to lateral inhibition of the retina

2


. This is an inbuilt edge enhancement mechanism of the retina, where the edges of darker objects next to lighter objects will appear lighter and vice versa, creating a false shadow

4

.

What causes presynaptic inhibition?


A1 presynaptic receptors

cause presynaptic inhibition. The presynaptic inhibition has been observed mostly with excitatory glutamatergic terminals in the cortex. … At CNS excitatory glutamate synapses, a decreased calcium flux may also have a role, but this has yet to be convincingly demonstrated.

What is recurrent inhibition?

Recurrent inhibition is

depressed during strong voluntary contractions

(presumably due to inhibition of the Reshaw cell by descending input). Renshaw cells are more inhibited at the same level during a dynamic contraction compared with sustained contraction.

What is Pessimal inhibition?

PESSIMAL INHIBITION. This type

of inhibition developes in the excitatory synapses as a result of strong depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane under the influence of nerve impulses arriving too frequently

.

What is lateral inhibition and how can it be used to specify cell fates?

Lateral inhibition, or lateral specification, is one process by which fine patterns of distinct cell types are generated [3, 4]. Among cells that have the potential to adopt the same fate, lateral inhibition specifies

some cells for a primary or preferred fate and others for a secondary or alternative fate

.

What is the role of lateral inhibition by horizontal cells in the retina?

Lateral inhibition is mediated by horizontal cells (HCs) in the vertebrate retina. A. HCs

collect information from photoreceptors in the receptive field surround (and center) and feed back onto photoreceptors in the receptive field center to generate the antagonistic receptive field surround of bipolar cells

.

What is feed forward inhibition?

Feed-forward inhibition typically occurs between different brain areas when

excitatory neurons excite inhibitory cells

, which then inhibit a group of postsynaptic excitatory neurons outside of the initializing excitatory neurons’ area.

James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.