Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 1978 May;278:79–99. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1978.sp012294

The response properties of the steady antagonistic surround in the mudpuppy retina.

L N Thibos, F S Werblin
PMCID: PMC1282339  PMID: 671342

Abstract

1. The graded response of bipolar and ganglion cells to test flashes at the receptive field centre, spans only a limited portion of the test intensity domain: more than 90% of the graded response range can be elicited by test flashes differing by less than 100 to 1. 2. In the presence of steady illumination of the receptive field surround, the absolute levels of log test intensities required to elicit 90% of the graded response are increased (reset), but the relation in (1) still applies. 3. Each point in the receptive field surround, when illuminated, contributes to the resetting of the required centre test flash intensities by a weighing that decreases exponentially with distance from the centre. The space constant is 0.25 mm. 4. When the receptive field surround is fully covered with illumination, the centre test flash intensities required to elicit 90% of the response range must be increased by about tenfold for each tenfold increase in surround intensity over a surround intensity domain of about 1000 to 1. 5. The absolute levels of surround and required centre test intensities are inter-related: when the receptive field surround is fully covered, a test flash with intensity equal to that of the surround elicits a half-maximal response. Thus, in the presence of a full field background, the bipolar potential is held near its half-maximum response potential. 6. The graded resetting of the required centre test flash intensities is well correlated with the graded increase in horizontal cell response as the surround intensity and area are varied. It is inferred that units with response and receptive field properties like those of the horizontal cells, when driven by surround illumination, act as interneurones to reset the relationship between required test flash intensity and response in bipolar and ganglion cells.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. Burkhardt D. A. Sensitization and centre-surround antagonism in Necturus retina. J Physiol. 1974 Feb;236(3):593–610. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1974.sp010454. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dowling J. E., Werblin F. S. Organization of retina of the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus. I. Synaptic structure. J Neurophysiol. 1969 May;32(3):315–338. doi: 10.1152/jn.1969.32.3.315. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Enroth-Cugell C., Lennie P. The control of retinal ganglion cell discharge by receptive field surrounds. J Physiol. 1975 Jun;247(3):551–578. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp010947. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fain G. L. Interactions of rod and cone signals in the mudpuppy retina. J Physiol. 1975 Nov;252(3):735–769. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011168. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fain G. L. Sensitivity of toad rods: Dependence on wave-length and background illumination. J Physiol. 1976 Sep;261(1):71–101. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1976.sp011549. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Green D. G., Dowling J. E., Siegel I. M., Ripps H. Retinal mechanisms of visual adaptation in the skate. J Gen Physiol. 1975 Apr;65(4):483–502. doi: 10.1085/jgp.65.4.483. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hubel D. H. Tungsten Microelectrode for Recording from Single Units. Science. 1957 Mar 22;125(3247):549–550. doi: 10.1126/science.125.3247.549. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Katz B., Miledi R. A study of synaptic transmission in the absence of nerve impulses. J Physiol. 1967 Sep;192(2):407–436. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1967.sp008307. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kleinschmidt J., Dowling J. E. Intracellular recordings from gecko photoreceptors during light and dark adaptation. J Gen Physiol. 1975 Nov;66(5):617–648. doi: 10.1085/jgp.66.5.617. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Martin A. R., Ringham G. L. Synaptic transfer at a vertebrate central nervous system synapse. J Physiol. 1975 Oct;251(2):409–426. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1975.sp011101. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Miller R. F., Dacheux R. F. Synaptic organization and ionic basis of on and off channels in mudpuppy retina. I. Intracellular analysis of chloride-sensitive electrogenic properties of receptors, horizontal cells, bipolar cells, and amacrine cells. J Gen Physiol. 1976 Jun;67(6):639–659. doi: 10.1085/jgp.67.6.639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Naka K. Functional organization of catfish retina. J Neurophysiol. 1977 Jan;40(1):26–43. doi: 10.1152/jn.1977.40.1.26. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Normann R. A., Werblin F. S. Control of retinal sensitivity. I. Light and dark adaptation of vertebrate rods and cones. J Gen Physiol. 1974 Jan;63(1):37–61. doi: 10.1085/jgp.63.1.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Thibos L. N., Werblin F. S. The properties of surround antagonism elicited by spinning windmill patterns in the mudpuppy retina. J Physiol. 1978 May;278:101–116. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1978.sp012295. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Werblin F. S. Adaptation in a vertebrate retina: intracellular recording in Necturus. J Neurophysiol. 1971 Mar;34(2):228–241. doi: 10.1152/jn.1971.34.2.228. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Werblin F. S. Control of retinal sensitivity. II. Lateral interactions at the outer plexi form layer. J Gen Physiol. 1974 Jan;63(1):62–87. doi: 10.1085/jgp.63.1.62. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Werblin F. S., Dowling J. E. Organization of the retina of the mudpuppy, Necturus maculosus. II. Intracellular recording. J Neurophysiol. 1969 May;32(3):339–355. doi: 10.1152/jn.1969.32.3.339. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Werblin F. S. Response of retinal cells to moving spots: intracellular recording in Necturus maculosus. J Neurophysiol. 1970 May;33(3):342–350. doi: 10.1152/jn.1970.33.3.342. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Physiological Society

RESOURCES