Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Physiology logoLink to The Journal of Physiology
. 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.

Full text

PDF
5

Images in this article

14-1Plate 1
on p.14-1

Selected References

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

  1. BARLOW H. B., HILL R. M., LEVICK W. R. RETINAL GANGLION CELLS RESPONDING SELECTIVELY TO DIRECTION AND SPEED OF IMAGE MOTION IN THE RABBIT. J Physiol. 1964 Oct;173:377–407. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1964.sp007463. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BARLOW H. B. Summation and inhibition in the frog's retina. J Physiol. 1953 Jan;119(1):69–88. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1953.sp004829. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baylor D. A., Fuortes M. G. Electrical responses of single cones in the retina of the turtle. J Physiol. 1970 Mar;207(1):77–92. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1970.sp009049. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baylor D. A., Fuortes M. G., O'Bryan P. M. Receptive fields of cones in the retina of the turtle. J Physiol. 1971 Apr;214(2):265–294. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1971.sp009432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. KUFFLER S. W. Discharge patterns and functional organization of mammalian retina. J Neurophysiol. 1953 Jan;16(1):37–68. doi: 10.1152/jn.1953.16.1.37. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kaneko A. Physiological and morphological identification of horizontal, bipolar and amacrine cells in goldfish retina. J Physiol. 1970 May;207(3):623–633. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1970.sp009084. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MATURANA H. R., LETTVIN J. Y., MCCULLOCH W. S., PITTS W. H. Anatomy and physiology of vision in the frog (Rana pipiens). J Gen Physiol. 1960 Jul;43(6):129–175. doi: 10.1085/jgp.43.6.129. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Michael C. R. Receptive fields of single optic nerve fibers in a mammal with an all-cone retina. II: directionally selective units. J Neurophysiol. 1968 Mar;31(2):257–267. doi: 10.1152/jn.1968.31.2.257. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Naka K. I., Nye P. W. Receptive-field organization of the catfish retina: are at least two lateral mechanisms involved? J Neurophysiol. 1970 Sep;33(5):625–642. doi: 10.1152/jn.1970.33.5.625. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Naka K. I., Nye P. W. Role of horizontal cells in organization of the catfish retinal receptive field. J Neurophysiol. 1971 Sep;34(5):785–801. doi: 10.1152/jn.1971.34.5.785. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES