Threshold spectral sensitivity of single neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus and of performing monkeys.

A technique is described for controlling fixation within central mascular fields and locating and determining thresholds for single neural units in the afferent pathways on the same awake, performing monkey for the same stimuli and at the same retinal loci from which behavioral thresholds are obtained. Comparison of preliminary neural unit and behavioral thresholds appears to reject the hypothesis that the color-opponent LGN units can serve threshold detection. A type of broad-band LGN unit is described which could serve that function, having its absolute threshold within the variability of the behavioral threshold (+/- 1 standard deviation) for all wavelengths successfully tested.