The efficiency of sensory information coding by mechanoreceptor neurons

Mikko Juusola; Andrew S. French

doi:10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80335-9

The efficiency of sensory information coding by mechanoreceptor neurons

Mikko Juusola, Andrew S. French

Medicine

Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

78 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Most sensory systems encode external signals into action potentials for transmission to the central nervous system, but little is known about the cost or efficiency of this encoding. We measured the information capacity at three stages of encoding in the neurons of a spider slit-sense mechanoreceptor organ. For the receptor current under voltage clamp, the capacity was ~1400 bits/s, but when the neuron was allowed to generate a receptor potential, nonlinear membrane processes improved the capacity to >2000 bits/s. Finally, when action potentials were produced, the capacity dropped to ~200 bits/s, or ~14% of the receptor current capacity. These measurements provide a quantitative estimation of the cost of encoding analog signals into action potentials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	959-968
Number of pages	10
Journal	Neuron
Volume	18
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80335-9
Publication status	Published - Jun 1997

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank M. Duszyk, M. J. Korenberg, H. P. C. Robinson, R. de Ruyter van Steveninck, E.-A. Seyfarth, G. Stroink, and C. Wall for critical reading of the manuscript, and three anonymous referees for interesting and constructive comments. This work was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, The Wihuri Foundation, and NATO.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

General Neuroscience

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10.1016/S0896-6273(00)80335-9

Cite this

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title = "The efficiency of sensory information coding by mechanoreceptor neurons",

abstract = "Most sensory systems encode external signals into action potentials for transmission to the central nervous system, but little is known about the cost or efficiency of this encoding. We measured the information capacity at three stages of encoding in the neurons of a spider slit-sense mechanoreceptor organ. For the receptor current under voltage clamp, the capacity was ~1400 bits/s, but when the neuron was allowed to generate a receptor potential, nonlinear membrane processes improved the capacity to >2000 bits/s. Finally, when action potentials were produced, the capacity dropped to ~200 bits/s, or ~14% of the receptor current capacity. These measurements provide a quantitative estimation of the cost of encoding analog signals into action potentials.",

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The efficiency of sensory information coding by mechanoreceptor neurons

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

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