strf

strf is a term with multiple meanings across fields. In neuroscience and signal processing, it commonly refers to spectro-temporal receptive field, abbreviated STRF.

Spectro-temporal receptive field is a linear filter model describing how a neuron or neural population responds to a stimulus with spectral content over time. The model maps a time-varying spectrogram S(t,f) to a predicted firing rate r(t) by r(t) ≈ ∑f ∑τ STRF(τ,f) S(t−τ,f). The STRF captures selectivity along frequency (spectral) and time (temporal) dimensions. Estimation uses reverse correlation with white-noise or spectrally diverse stimuli, sometimes with regularization; common methods include spike-triggered average, ridge regression, and generalized linear models. STRFs are applied to auditory cortex, visual or somatosensory systems. They reveal tuning properties such as preferred frequencies, latency, and bandwidth. Limitations include the assumption of linearity and time-invariance; real neurons exhibit nonlinearities, adaptation, and context-dependent responses.

Other uses: In computer programming and data processing, "strf" is not a standard function name; some projects may use it as a shorthand name for string formatting or as a variable. The widely used related term is "strftime," a function that formats dates and times in many languages.

In summary, strf most often signals a concept in sensory neuroscience (the STRF), while other domains may use it more variably as a shorthand or identifier. When encountering the term, context clarifies its intended meaning.