Correlation between behavioral and neuronal activities of toads Bufo bufo (L.) in response to moving configurational prey stimuli.

Common toads are able to distinguish prey objects from predators and behaviorally irrelevant stimuli by their shape and direction of motion. Using computer programs for correlation analysis, the prey-catching activity in response to different moving configurational stimuli was compared with the activity of neurons recorded at different levels of the visual pathway. Among retinal ganglion cells, the class R2 neurons were found to be most sensitive, to moving configurational stimuli. Among neurons recorded from retinal projection fields in the optic tectum and thalamic pretectal region, the tectal T5(2) neurons exhibited configurational selectivity. The output of these neurons showed the best positive correlation with prey-catching when both the neuronal and behavioral activities were compared in response to stripes of different length moving with their axis in, or perpendicular to, the direction of motion.