The Issues Regarding the Organization of the Human Retina: A Cybernetic Approach

The issues in the organization of the human retina are analyzed from the point of view of cybernetics. In particular, hypotheses are formed regarding the conditions of the concentric organization of receptive fields, the extraction of informative features, the possibilities of restructuring the receptive fields and their limitations, the transmission of information through ganglion cells with its binding to the location on the retina, as well as regarding the peculiarities of the visual system in different modes. The conditions for the correct operation of on- and off-centers of receptive fields based on bipolars with a cone as the central zone of excitation and the surrounding rods as an inhibition zone, organized with the help of horizontal cells for the on-center, and vice versa for the off-center, are determined. The conditions for the extraction of informative features based on on- and off-centers in the form of point values of brightness differences between neighboring elements are substantiated. The rigid organization of the receptive fields of ganglion cells and the limited possibilities of its reconstruction are substantiated. A hypothesis on the organization of the transmission of information about brightness differences from bipolar cells through ganglion cells under the control of amacrine cells with reference to the location of the retina is proposed. A hypothesis on the continuous perception of the image by the retina receptors and the discrete perception of information by the brain is formulated. The features of the visual system in the modes of contemplation, searching for an object in an image, tracking it, and detailed examination and recognition are considered.