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. 1979 Feb;287:93–106. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012648

Dark-adaptation of the aspartate-isolated rod receptor potential of the frog retina: threshold measurements

K O Donner 1, S O Hemilä 1
PMCID: PMC1281484  PMID: 311829

Abstract

1. The dark-adaptation of the aspartate-isolated rod receptor potential of the isolated and perfused frog retina has been measured after bleaching about 5-10% of the rhodopsin. The fraction bleached (ΔR) and the decay of rhodopsin photoproducts were determined using alternating measurements with a photometric technique (Donner & Hemilä, 1975).

2. The dark-adaptation time course of the log threshold elevation is exponential, log It/I0 = W exp (-t/τ)+P, where W is the extrapolated value for log It/I0-P at t = 0 and P is log It/I0 for t = ∞. When ΔR increases from 2 to 10% W increases from ca. 2·6 to ca. 5. The time constant τ is about 13 min at 9 °C and 7 min at 14 °C (ΔR = 5-10%).

3. When the bleaching period is extended, keeping the amount bleached (I×t) constant, dark-adaptation is completed earlier.

4. The time course of dark-adaptation and the decay of the photoproduct `retinal' are similar, as is also their dependence on temperature (Q10 ≈ 3).

5. The permanent log threshold rise P is approximately proportional to ΔR after small bleaches; when more than about 10% is bleached the slope of the curve P(ΔR) decreases. P is considerably larger (about 2·5-fold) for the same fraction bleached in experiments at 14 °C as compared to experiments at 9 °C.

6. A comparison with previously obtained corresponding values for dark-adaptation after small bleaches at the ganglion cell level shows a close agreement between the time constants for the dark-adaptation curve, its range and the dependence of threshold on the fraction of rhodopsin bleached.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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