Link to bioRxiv paper: http://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.07.15.205336v1?rss=1 Authors: Cooler, S., Schwartz, G. W. Abstract: Receptive fields (RFs) are a foundational concept in sensory neuroscience. The RF of a sensory neuron is shaped by the properties of its synaptic inputs from connected neurons. In the early visual system, retinotopic maps define a strict relationship between the location of a cell's dendrites and its RF location in visual space. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the output cells of the retina, form dendritic mosaics that tile retinal space and have corresponding RF mosaics that tile visual space. The precise location of dendrites in some RGCs has been shown to predict their RF shape. Previously described ON-OFF RGCs have aligned dendrites in ON and OFF synaptic layers, so the cells respond to increments and decrements of light at the same locations in visual space. Here we report a systematic offset between the ON and OFF RFs of an RGC type. Surprisingly, this property does not come from offset ON and OFF dendrites but instead arises from electrical synapses with RGCs of a different type. This circuit represents a new channel for direct communication between ON and OFF RGCs. Using a multi-cell model, we find that offset ON-OFF RFs could improve the precision with which edge location is represented in an RGC population. Copy rights belong to original authors. Visit the link for more info