Response was investigated in 47 rabbit visual cortex neurons to direct intracortical electrical stimulation consisting of single biphasic pulses of increasing intensities within the 150–2,700 µA range. Minimum level for generating all components of response to electrical stimulation remained similar from one neuron to the next, ranging between 150 and 600 µA. Three different patterns of
... [Show full abstract] dependence between numbers of spikes at different stages of response and current amplitude were identified: stable, gradual and selective patterns. Percentages of stable dependences were lower for after-discharges in comparison with initial firing (at 11 and 26% respectively) and the proportion of selective dependences were somewhat higher (at 32 and 21%). The selective dependence observed could imply the existence of optimum current levels at which peak neuronal response occurs. At the same time, duration of inhibitory pauses lengthened uniformly in the response of all test neurons during increasing intensity of the electrical stimuli. Findings obtained during this study may have a practical application in matters connected with visual prosthetics in the blind.
