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. 1973 Apr;230(1):1–14.1. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1973.sp010171

Organization of on-off cells in the retina of the turtle

E A Schwartz
PMCID: PMC1350382  PMID: 4702424

Abstract

1. The organization of central and peripheral responses for one type of spike-producing cell in the retina of the turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans) has been studied. These cells produced a short burst of spikes following the onset and offset of a small spot of illumination (i.e. ON—OFF cells). The effect of increasing the area of illumination was to include a peripheral inhibition. Intracellular ON and OFF responses were, however, affected differently.

2. ON—OFF cells marked intracellularly with Procion Yellow M4R had somata in the inner nuclear and ganglion cell layers.

3. Peripheral inhibition could be evoked without a change in the membrane potential of horizontal cells.

4. Passing 5 nA hyperpolarizing or depolarizing current through a micropipette within a horizontal cell elicited in ON—OFF cells a transient excitation following the onset and offset of current.

5. It is concluded that inhibition from the periphery of an ON—OFF cell receptive field is not mediated by luminosity horizontal cells but more probably by peripheral bipolar cells.

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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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