Visual cortical cell classification criteria: reliability and equivalence of the quantitative dynamic- and static-field plotting procedures.

There is in vision research a general unwillingness to classify or define visual cortical cell types, particularly new cell types, outside the classical simple/complex dichotomy. Cells lacking clear-cut characteristics are, therefore, considered simple by some authors and complex by others. The present unsatisfactory state has largely arisen because of the absence of any rigorous, generally accepted, classification scheme of visual cortical neurons. Actually the present two classification schemes of visual cortical neurons, that is the Hubel and Wiesel and the Bishop schemes, are generally considered to be not comparable since the former is based on the cell qualitative static-field properties as revealed by hand-held stationary flashing stimuli, whereas the latter is based on the cell quantitative dynamic-field plotting properties as revealed by moving light stimuli. Since receptive fields lacking clear-cut characteristics of simple and complex cells have been observed in area 18 of the cat as well, all the receptive field types of this area have been classified either qualitatively or quantitatively using both the Hubel and Wiesel and the Bishop classifying procedures. It has been observed, at least as far as simple cells are concerned, that the two schemes are not antithetic but, on the contrary, equivalent if averaging procedures are taken into consideration.