Topic: GluClα

Nonlinear, multiplication-like operations carried out by individual nerve cells greatly enhance the computational power of a neural system, but our understanding of their biophysical nature is scant. We pursue this problem in the Drosophila ON motion vision circuit, where we record the membrane potentials of direction-selective T4 neurons and of all their columnar input elements in response to visual and pharmacological stimuli in vivo. Our electrophysiological measurements and conductance-based simulations suggest a passive supralinear interaction between two distinct types of synapse on T4 d

Natural scenes are highly dynamic, challenging the reliability of visual processing. Yet, humans and many animals can perform accurate visual behaviors in nature, whereas computer vision devices struggle with changing environments. How do animal eyes achieve this? Here, we reveal the algorithms and mechanisms of rapid luminance gain control in Drosophila, resulting in stable visual processing. We identify the dendrites of specific third order neurons as the site of luminance gain control. The circuitry further involves wide field neurons, matching computational predictions that local spatial p