Georg von Békésy discussed the extensive inhibition phenomenon in the sensory system in his book Sensory Inhibition [1], and explained it from the perspective of sharpening.
For example, when an object touches the skin, several adjacent sensory neurons on the skin will be stimulated. Discharging neurons will inhibit the stimulation of neighboring neurons. In the face of inhibition, only the neurons that are stimulated the most and inhibited the least will discharge, so the discharge pattern tends to focus on the peak of stimulation.
Lateral inhibition increases the contrast and sharpness of visual response. For example, this phenomenon occurs in the retina of mammals. In the dark, different photoreceptors (rod cells) will enhance the weak light stimulation. The rod in the stimulation center will transmit the "bright" signal to the brain, while stimulating different rods outside will transmit the "dark" signal to the brain. This contrast of light and shade produces a clear image. This mechanism also creates the visual effect of Maher belt.
Artificial lateral inhibition has been incorporated into artificial sensory systems, such as visual chip, [2] auditory system, [3] and optical mouse. [4]
[Edit] History
The concept of neural inhibition can be traced back to Descartes at least. Ernst mach described sensory inhibition in vision. [citation needed ]Hartline found and studied the inhibition in a single sensory neuron in 1949[5] and Hartline, Wagner and Ratliff in 1956. [6] Lateral inhibition makes the spatial outline of excitement caused by local stimulation clear.
[editor] embryology
In embryology, the concept of lateral inhibition is used to describe the development process of cell types. [7] This is a kind of cell-to-cell interaction, through which a cell accepts a specific fate, but inhibits its neighbors from doing the same. In flies, worms and vertebrates, lateral inhibition has been well proved. In all these organisms, transmembrane proteins Notch and Delta (or their homologues) have been identified as interacting media.
Neuroblasts with a little more Delta protein on the cell surface will inhibit their neighboring cells from becoming neurons. In flies, frogs and chickens, Delta is found in cells that will become neurons, while Notch is elevated in cells that become glial cells.
also
http://www.nku.edu/~issues/illusions/LateralInhibition.htm