Modeling Nonlinear Dendritic Processing of Facilitation in a Dragonfly Target-Tracking Neuron.

ABSTRACT: Dragonflies are highly skilled and successful aerial predators that are even capable of selectively attending to one target within a swarm. Detection and tracking of prey is likely to be driven by small target motion detector (STMD) neurons identified from several insect groups. Prior work has shown that dragonfly STMD responses are facilitated by targets moving on a continuous path, enhancing the response gain at the present and predicted future location of targets. In this study, we combined detailed morphological data with computational modeling to test whether a combination of dendritic morphology and nonlinear properties of NMDA receptors could explain these observations. We developed a hybrid computational model of neurons within the dragonfly optic lobe, which integrates numerical a

SUBMITTER: Bekkouche BMB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8415787 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature