<p><strong>Short answer</strong><br />
The term <strong><a href="https://www.cns.nyu.edu/%7Edavid/courses/perception/lecturenotes/ganglion/ganglion.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">center-surround antagonism</a></strong> is a specific example of the more general term <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1379#:%7E:text=Definition,stimulated%20and%20least%20inhibited%20respond." rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>lateral inhibition</strong></a>.</p>
<p><strong>Background</strong><br />
The term 'center-surround' is used <a href="https://pressbooks.umn.edu/sensationandperception/chapter/lateral-inhibition-draft/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">specifically for retinal connectivity</a> and visual processing. Specifically, it enhances contrast perception by exaggerating differences in light responses.</p>
<p>Lateral inhibition includes center-surround antagonism observed in the retina, but is a <a href="https://dictionary.apa.org/lateral-inhibition" rel="nofollow noreferrer">more general term</a> also applied for similar processes occurring in other sensory systems, like the tactile senses.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-03T09:12:00.723Z
2023-01-03T15:42:14.267Z
2023-01-03T15:42:14.267Z
AliceD
<p>The two are similar in some ways, but most definitely different in reality. Presenting stimuli near the periphery of a sensory neuron's receptive field (RF) can indeed lead to inhibit its activity (i.e. reduce its action potential discharge rate) through both of these mechanisms, but the mechanisms operate differently.</p>
<p>Centre-surround antagonism is independent from other nearby neurons. If a single neuron were isolated and a stimulus presented in its receptive field surround, its activity would get inhibited.</p>
<p>Lateral inhibition, on the other hand, doesn't talk directly about the RF, but rather about neighboring neurons <em>in the brain</em>. The &quot;lateral&quot; doesn't refer to geometric proximity, but rather to so-called lateral connections (i.e. at the same level of abstraction in cognitive processing) between neurons in the brain.</p>
<p>In truth, receptive fields can overlap, and due to &quot;x-topies&quot; (somatotopy, retinotopy, tonotopy, etc.), both mechanisms can end up active at the same time (but not always!).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-12-07T19:26:03.200Z
2021-12-07T19:26:03.200Z
David Cian
<p>On Wikipedia, there is one page for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center-surround_antagonism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">centre-surround antagonism</a> and one for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_inhibition" rel="nofollow noreferrer">lateral inhibition</a>. They both concern the activity of a neuron being reduced by stimuli present not in the center of its receptive field but near its periphery.</p>

<neuroscience><perception><neurophysiology><sensation><sensory-perception>
Are centre-surround antagonism and lateral inhibition synonyms?
David Cian
# Are centre-surround antagonism and lateral inhibition synonyms?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-12-07)

On Wikipedia, there is one page for [centre-surround antagonism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center-surround_antagonism) and one for [lateral inhibition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_inhibition). They both concern the activity of a neuron being reduced by stimuli present not in the center of its receptive field but near its periphery.

**Tags:** neuroscience, perception, neurophysiology, sensation, sensory-perception


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-01-03. Score: 2

**Short answer**  
The term **[center-surround antagonism](https://www.cns.nyu.edu/%7Edavid/courses/perception/lecturenotes/ganglion/ganglion.html)** is a specific example of the more general term [**lateral inhibition**](https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-0-387-79948-3_1379#:%7E:text=Definition,stimulated%20and%20least%20inhibited%20respond.).

**Background**  
The term 'center-surround' is used [specifically for retinal connectivity](https://pressbooks.umn.edu/sensationandperception/chapter/lateral-inhibition-draft/) and visual processing. Specifically, it enhances contrast perception by exaggerating differences in light responses.

Lateral inhibition includes center-surround antagonism observed in the retina, but is a [more general term](https://dictionary.apa.org/lateral-inhibition) also applied for similar processes occurring in other sensory systems, like the tactile senses.


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### Answer by username_0 on 2021-12-07. Score: -1

The two are similar in some ways, but most definitely different in reality. Presenting stimuli near the periphery of a sensory neuron's receptive field (RF) can indeed lead to inhibit its activity (i.e. reduce its action potential discharge rate) through both of these mechanisms, but the mechanisms operate differently.

Centre-surround antagonism is independent from other nearby neurons. If a single neuron were isolated and a stimulus presented in its receptive field surround, its activity would get inhibited.

Lateral inhibition, on the other hand, doesn't talk directly about the RF, but rather about neighboring neurons *in the brain*. The "lateral" doesn't refer to geometric proximity, but rather to so-called lateral connections (i.e. at the same level of abstraction in cognitive processing) between neurons in the brain.

In truth, receptive fields can overlap, and due to "x-topies" (somatotopy, retinotopy, tonotopy, etc.), both mechanisms can end up active at the same time (but not always!).


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