Receiver operating characteristic analysis of photoreceptor sensitivity

To understand the workings of neural systems and to place neural modelmaking on a firm foundation, it is useful to frame both experiments and models in the context of receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC analysis). The presence of noise and of nonlinear signaling are compelling reasons for the use of ROC analysis. The application of ROC analysis to the study of the dark-adapted responses of the locust (Schistocerca Americanus) photoreceptor is shown. ROC curves are derived directly from intracellularly recorded membrane potentials. Their use is illustrated in the task of determining the absolute sensitivity of this sensory transducer. ROC analysis of photoreceptor responses provides clues as to the means by which incident light is coded into a photoreceptor response.