title: Responses of simple and non-oriented cells to stimuli of variable duration in areas 17 and 18 of cat visual cortex.
abstract: Single unitresponses to photic stimuli of variable duration were studied in the cat visual areas 17 and 18. The closed-chamber technique was used to record extracellularly impulsive electrical activity in locally anaesthetized, Flaxedil-paralyzed and artificially ventilated cats. Stimulus duration ranges between 0.020 and 10 sec, the background luminance and the intensity of stimuli being constant. We found a first group of cells which fire independently of the stimulus duration; a second group which fire in close relation to the stimulus duration in a rather wide range of values, and a third group which fire monotonously as long as the stimulus goes on. The three groups of cells are supposed to be three functionally different types of cortical cells.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*