Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-19T00:22:35.847Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Spatial properties of ganglion cell activity in the turtle retina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

John C. Armington ,
Alan R. Adolph  and
Shuang wu
John C. Armington
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Unit, Eye Research Institute, Boston
Alan R. Adolph
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Unit, Eye Research Institute, Boston
Shuang wu
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Northeastern University, Boston
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Ganglion cell activity in response to drifting or alternating stimulus patterns was recorded in an eyecup preparation of the turtle. The stimuli were sinusoidal gratings with various spatial frequencies and spatial phases. Spike histograms of the activity were Fourier-analyzed. The results indicated that the retinal circuitry always functioned in a nonlinear manner. The average, first, and second harmonics of the activity were all a function of stimulus conditions, including spatial phase. Similar outcomes were obtained with full-field (retina-wide) and a small-field (1 mm diameter) stimulation. In the middle of the spatial-frequency range, the ratio of second to first harmonic activity was higher in response to static, contrast-reversing gratings than for drifting, constant-contrast ones. The findings suggest that, as distinct from the usual X, Y, and W segregation of ganglion cell properties in other retinas, there is a single class of cells whose responses seem to have attributes of one or another of the usual categories depending on stimulus characteristics. This may be the result of a degree of stimulus-dependent functional modification in the retinal input circuitry to the turtle ganglion cells.

Keywords

TurtleGanglion cellHarmonic analysisDrift and alternationNonlinear activity
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 6 , Issue 5 , May 1991 , pp. 439 - 450
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adolph, A.R. (1988). Center-surround, orientation, and directional properties of turtle retinal horizontal cells. Biological Cybernetics 58, 373–385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Adolph, A.R. (1989). Pharmacological actions of peptides and indoleamines on turtle retinal ganglion cells. Visual Neuroscience 3, 411–423.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ariel, M. & Adolph, A.R. (1985). Neurotransmitter inputs to directionally sensitive turtle retinal ganglion cells. Journal of Neurophysiology 54, 1123–1143.Google Scholar
Armington, J.C. & Adolph, A.R. (1990). Local pattern electroretinograms and ganglion cell activity in the turtle eye. International Journal of Neuroscience 50, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bilotta, J. & Abramov, I. (1989). Spatial properties of goldfish ganglion cells. Journal of General Physiology, 93, 1147–1169.Google Scholar
Bowling, D.B. (1980). Light responses of ganglion cells in the retina of the turtle. Journal of Physiology 299, 173–196.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Criswell, M.H. & DeVoe, R.D. (1986). Fourier analysis of directionally selective bipolar cells in the turtle retina. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (ARVO Suppl.), 27, 129.Google Scholar
Enroth-Cugell, Ch. & Robson, J.G. (1966). The contrast sensitivity of retinal ganglion cells of the cat. Journal of Physiology, 187, 517–552.Google Scholar
Granda, A.M. & Fulbrook, J.E. (1989). Classification of turtle retinal ganglion cells. Journal of Neurophysiology 62, 723–737.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hartline, H.K. (1938). The response of single optic nerve fibers of the vertebrate eye to illumination of the retina. American Journal of Physiology 121, 400–415.Google Scholar
Kuffler, S.W. (1953). Discharge patterns and functional organization of mammalian retina. Journal of Neurophysiology 16, 37–68.Google Scholar
Lipetz, L.E. & Hill, R.M. (1970). Discrimination characteristics of the turtle's ganglion cells. Experientia Basel 26, 373–374.Google Scholar
Shapley, R. & Gordon, J. (1978). The eel retina: ganglion cell classes and spatial mechanisms. Journal of General Physiology 71, 139–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapley, R. & Lennie, P. (1985). Spatial-frequency analysis in the visual system. Annual Review of Neuroscience 8, 547–583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapley, R. & Perry, H.V. (1986). Cat and monkey retinal ganglion cells and their visual functional roles. Trends in Neurosciences 9, 229–235.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Troy, J.B., Einstein, G., Schuurmans, R.P., Robson, J.G. & Enroth-Cugell, Ch. (1989). Responses to sinusoidal gratings of two types of very nonlinear retinal ganglion cells of cat. Visual Neuroscience 3, 213–223.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed