Abstract and subjects
This article presents an overview of various computational approaches to the study of the vertebrate retina. Topics include the unique advantages of the retina as a target system for computational modeling; significant differences with respect to computational models of other neural systems; quantitative models of linear receptive field properties based on lateral inhibition or a difference of Gaussians; quantitative models of contrast gain control based on a cascade of temporal filters; linear–nonlinear models of responses to naturalistic stimuli; models of nonlinear subunits based on rectified input from transient bipolar cells; biophysical models of single cells with reconstructed dendritic morphology; computational models of extended retinal networks; information theory and the retinal code; and quantitative and biophysical models of light and dark adaptation.