Noise-assisted information transfer in crayfish mechanoreceptors: stochastic resonance in a neuronal receptor

John K. Douglass; Lon A. Wilkens; Frank Moss

doi:10.1117/12.162707

5 November 1993 Noise-assisted information transfer in crayfish mechanoreceptors: stochastic resonance in a neuronal receptor

John K. Douglass, Lon A. Wilkens, Frank Moss

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 2036, Chaos in Biology and Medicine; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.162707
Event: SPIE's 1993 International Symposium on Optics, Imaging, and Instrumentation, 1993, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Adding random noise to a weak periodic signal can enhance the flow of information through certain nonlinear physical systems, via a process known as stochastic resonance (SR). We have used crayfish mechanoreceptor cells to investigate the possibility that SR can be induced in neurophysiological systems. Various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements were derived from the action potentials (spikes) of single receptor cells stimulated with weak periodic signals. Spike noise was controlled by one of two methods: (1) adding external noise to the stimulus, or (2) altering internal noise sources by changing the temperature of the cell. In external noise experiments, an optimal noise level can be identified at which the SNR is maximized. In internal noise experiments, although the SNR increases with increasing noise, no SNR maximum has been observed. These results demonstrate that SR can be induced in single neurons, and suggest that neuronal systems may also be capable of exploiting SR.

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John K. Douglass, Lon A. Wilkens, and Frank Moss "Noise-assisted information transfer in crayfish mechanoreceptors: stochastic resonance in a neuronal receptor", Proc. SPIE 2036, Chaos in Biology and Medicine, (5 November 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.162707

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