How neurons detect the direction of motion is a prime example of neural computation: Motion vision is found in the visual systems of virtually all sighted animals, it is important for survival, and it requires interesting computations with well-defined linear and nonlinear processing steps—yet the whole process is of moderate complexity. The genetic methods available in the fruit fly Drosophila and the charting of a connectome of its visual system have led to rapid progress and unprecedented detail in our understanding of how neurons compute the direction of motion in this organism. The picture that emerged incorporates not only the identity, morphology, and synaptic connectivity of each neuron involved but also its neurotransmitters, its receptors, and their subcellular localization. Together with the neurons’ membrane potential responses to visual stimulation, this information provides the basis for a biophysically realistic model of the circuit that computes the direction of visual motion.

中文翻译：

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苍蝇如何看待运动

神经元如何检测运动方向是神经计算的一个主要例子：运动视觉几乎存在于所有有视力的动物的视觉系统中，它对于生存很重要，并且需要通过明确定义的线性和非线性处理步骤进行有趣的计算 -但整个过程的复杂性适中。果蝇中可用的遗传方法及其视觉系统连接组的绘制使我们对神经元如何计算该生物体运动方向的理解取得了快速进展和前所未有的细节。出现的图像不仅包含了每个相关神经元的身份、形态和突触连接性，还包含了其神经递质、受体及其亚细胞定位。与神经元对视觉刺激的膜电位反应一起，这些信息为计算视觉运动方向的电路的生物物理现实模型提供了基础。