How do receptive fields determine where a sensory stimulus must occur to affect a neuron?

A receptive field determines where a sensory stimulus must occur to affect a neuron by defining a specific spatial region in the sensory periphery—such as an area on the skin or the retina—within which stimuli can influence the electrical activity of that cell.1

The relationship between location and neuronal response is governed by the following principles:

• Spatial Mapping: A receptive field acts as a spatial entity, mapping a portion of the body surface or visual field to a specific sensory neuron. Stimuli presented outside this defined region generally do not change the neuron's spiking activity.1
• Synaptic Connectivity: The field is defined by the collection of sensory receptors that provide synaptic input to a neuron. In the visual system, for example, the receptive field of a ganglion cell corresponds to the specific photoreceptors that connect to it.12
• Centre-Surround Antagonism: Many receptive fields are organized into a central region and an annular surround with opposite response properties. This arrangement ensures that the neuron responds most strongly to local contrast or movement within its field, rather than to uniform stimulation across the entire area, which often results in the cancellation of excitatory and inhibitory signals.132
• Hierarchical Complexity: As sensory information travels from peripheral receptors to the brain, receptive fields become increasingly complex, shifting from simple spatial detection to selectivity for specific features like orientation, direction of motion, or even complex objects.1