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Models of Fly Lobula Plate Tangential Cells (LPTCs)

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Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience

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Definition

A network of around 60 highly interconnected interneurons, the lobula plate tangential cells (LPTCs), is at the core of optic flow calculations in the fly visual system. Exquisite data is available for these cells on their anatomy and electrophysiology in vivo, including the characterization of responses to visual stimulation. Consequently, it has been possible to derive models that reproduce the morphology and the detailed electrophysiology of the cells within the network and to associate the features of the network to optic flow computations that it performs. The LPTC network therefore is a prime example of a neural circuit where sophisticated computations, connectivity schemes, and anatomy are understood in a unifying manner.

Detailed Description

Circuit Overview of the Lobula Plate

The lobula plate in the fly is a neural center for course control during flight (Borst and Haag 2002). It encodes visual motion information in a retinotopic manner: Neighborhood relationships...

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Alexander Borst for the helpful discussions and for reading this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, and Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

    Dr. Hermann Cuntz

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  1. Dr. Hermann Cuntz
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Correspondence to Hermann Cuntz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Dieter Jaeger

  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, USA

    Ranu Jung

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Cuntz, H. (2013). Models of Fly Lobula Plate Tangential Cells (LPTCs). In: Jaeger, D., Jung, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computational Neuroscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_331-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7320-6_331-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7320-6

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