A comparison of visual responses in the lateral geniculate nucleus of alert and anaesthetized macaque monkeys

摘要: Despite the increasing use of alert animals for studies aimed at understanding visual processing in cerebral cortex, relatively little attention has been focused on quantifying response properties neurons that provide input to cortex. Here, we examine lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) thalamus macaque monkey and compare these responses those anaesthetized animal. Compared animal, show magnocellular parvocellular animal respond stimuli with significantly higher firing rates. This increase responsiveness is not accompanied by a change shape neuronal contrast functions or strength centre–surround antagonism; however, it an increased ability follow drifting spatial temporal frequencies.