INTRO/BASICS Flashcards
What is rate coding?
number of spikes can convey information about the stimulus identity, amplitude, and duration
What is temporal (pattern) coding?
same number of spikes, but in different temporal organizations, can convey information about stimulus identity and duration
What is a receptive field?
range of stimuli to which a neuron responds (increase or decrease in activity) – can be (but is not necessarily) a continuous physical space
What do necessity experiments show?
show that Factor X (neuron, gene, protein, RNA, etc.) is necessary for a particular phenomenon/activity
remove something that is normally there and show that there is some effect on the phenotype (loss-of-function)
What do sufficiency experiments show?
show that Factor X is sufficient to generate that activity
add something that is normally NOT there and show that it confers that particular response
What do right time, right place experiments show?
show that Factor X is present at right time, in right place, to naturally confer that activity
expression or activity or something that makes sense with the system
What does narrowly tuned mean?
relatively specific for a small number of stimuli
What does broadly tuned mean?
respond to wide range of stimuli
What is optogenetics?
activation or inhibition of neurons with light (and genetically-encoded light-gated channels)
What is channelrhodopsin (ChR2)?
cation channel that responds to blue light
depolarizes the neuron
What is halorhodopsin?
anion (Cl-) channel that responds to yellow light
hyperpolarizes the neuron, suppressing firing
