Supple JA, Varennes-Phillit L, Gajjar-Reid D, Cerkvenik U, Belušič G, Krapp HG. Generating spatiotemporal patterns of linearly polarised light at high frame rates for insect vision research.
J Exp Biol 2022;
225:275926. [PMID:
35708202 PMCID:
PMC9339910 DOI:
10.1242/jeb.244087]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Polarisation vision is commonplace among invertebrates; however, most experiments focus on determining behavioural and/or neurophysiological responses to static polarised light sources rather than moving patterns of polarised light. To address the latter, we designed a polarisation stimulation device based on superimposing polarised and non-polarised images from two projectors, which can display moving patterns at frame rates exceeding invertebrate flicker fusion frequencies. A linear polariser fitted to one projector enables moving patterns of polarised light to be displayed, whilst the other projector contributes arbitrary intensities of non-polarised light to yield moving patterns with a defined polarisation and intensity contrast. To test the device, we measured receptive fields of polarisation-sensitive Argynnis paphia butterfly photoreceptors for both non-polarised and polarised light. We then measured local motion sensitivities of the optic flow-sensitive lobula plate tangential cell H1 in Calliphora vicina blowflies under both polarised and non-polarised light, finding no polarisation sensitivity in this neuron.
Summary: Design of a versatile visual stimulation device for presenting moving patterns of polarised light, and demonstration of its use to characterise polarisation sensitivity in butterfly photoreceptors and blowfly motion-sensitive interneurons.
Collapse