# Surround-mediated temporal and spatial filtering by retinal ganglion receptive fields shape the information encoded in the output of the retina.

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2021 · $66,390

## Abstract

Project Abstract
 Scientists are starting to decode the languages of neural circuits and are finding that the limits
of perception are defined by the circuits that detect, process, and relay stimuli information. In vision,
understanding the how a stimulus is represented at the output of the retina and how that representation
changes with light conditions is key to defining the information content passed to the cortex. Retinal
ganglion cells (RGCs) are responsible for performing the last circuit computations in the retina and
generating and relaying light information to the cortex. A defining feature of RGC sensitivity is a
receptive field with center-surround antagonism. These types of circuits are mediated by lateral
inhibition so that stimuli detected in the surround modulate those detected in the center. Since the
original discovery of center-surround antagonism in the retina, it has been shown in multiple model
species that surround interactions are light dependent. While studies have begun to reveal the circuit
mechanisms responsible for the light dependence of receptive fields, we still lack a complete
understanding of how spatial and temporal features of receptive fields change with light conditions. I
propose to study how light controls the spatial- and temporal-filtering mediated by the receptive field
surround and how that shapes the final output of primate retina. In Aim1 I will measure the light
dependence of the surround-mediated filtering and determine the functional detections limits at the
level of retinal output. Aim2 will identify how circuit routing determines access to inner and outer
sources of lateral inhibition and other light dependent mechanisms adjusting the strength of surround
modulations in the spatial and temporal domains. Fully understanding the dynamic properties of
surround-mediating filtering in primate retina not only adds to our understanding of how lateral inhibition
affects sensory encoding and detection, but importantly, will also provide new insights into how retinal
circuits define the limits of human perception.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10312346
- **Project number:** 1F32EY033172-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Norianne Theresa Ingram
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $66,390
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2024-08-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10312346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10312346, Surround-mediated temporal and spatial filtering by retinal ganglion receptive fields shape the information encoded in the output of the retina. (1F32EY033172-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10312346. Licensed CC0.

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