Contributions to Sensory Physiology

Contributions to Sensory Physiology, Volume 6 covers theories and research about the physiological basis of sensation. The book starts by describing cutaneous communication, including topics about the mechanoreceptive systems in the skin, the temporal relations of the stimuli, and pattern generation and its recognition by the skin. The book then discusses the effects of environments, such as transneuronal degeneration and stimulus deprivation, on the development in the sensory systems. The across-fiber pattern theory and the electrophysiological analysis of the echolocation system of bats are also considered. The book further tackles coding in the auditory cortex and the psychophysics and physiology of the lateralization of transient stimuli. Anatomists and psychophysicists will find the book invaluable.

Contributors

Preface

Contents of Previous Volumes

Cutaneous Communication

I. Introduction

II. The Skin as an Encoding System

III. Temporal Relations of Stimuli

IV. Pattern Generation and Its Recognition by the Skin

References

Effects of Environments on Development in Sensory Systems

I. Introduction

II. Retrograde and Anterograde Transneuronal Degeneration

III. Electrophysiology of Deprived Sensory Systems

IV. Binocular Vision and Its Critical Period

V. Visual Experience and Critical Periods in Avian Species

VI. Auditory Stimulation, Plasticity, and Interaural Competition

VII. Micro- and Ultramicroscopic Changes

VIII. Behavioral Correlates

IX. Sensorimotor Coordinations

X. Summary and Developmental Principles

References

The Across-Fiber Pattern Theory: An Organizing Principle for Molar Neural Function

I. Introduction

II. Review of the Theory

III. Application to Sensory Systems: Sensory Neural Coding

IV. Other Processes

V. Relation to Several Other Theoretical Statements

VI. Concluding Remarks

References

Electrophysiological Analysis of the Echolocation System of Bats

I. Prelude: Spallanzani's Bat Problem

II. Introduction

III. Materials and Methods

IV. Emission of Acoustic Signals and Control of Signal Inputs

V. Directional Sensitivity of the Echolocation System

VI. Processing of Acoustic Signals

References

Coding in the Auditory Cortex

I. Introduction

II. The Basic Auditory Parameters

III. Some Anatomical Considerations

IV. Tonotopicity

V. Feature Detection

VI. Auditory Space

VII. Transfer

VIII. Pitch

IX. Cortical Organization

References

The Psychophysics and Physiology of the Lateralization of Transient Acoustic Stimuli

I. Introduction

II. Stimulus Parameters

III. Anatomy

IV. Physiology

V. Model of Binaural Interaction

References

Index