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Effects of calcium on rod and cone inputs to horizontal cells of the tiger salamander retina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

Xiong-Li Yang  and
Samuel M. Wu
Xiong-Li Yang
Affiliation:
Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Samuel M. Wu
Affiliation:
Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
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Abstract

Effects of extracellular calcium on signal transmission between photoreceptors and horizontal cells (HCs) are studied in superfused isolated retina of the larval tiger salamander. Horizontal cell light response is optimal when extracellular Ca2+ is maintained between 1–2 mM. Ca2+ levels beyond this range in either direction significantly reduce the HC light response amplitude. When extracellular Ca2+ is lowered from 2 mM to 0.5 mM, the rod input to HCs is reduced whereas the cone input is not affected. In comparison, the peak voltage responses of rods are not changed whereas the cone voltage responses are enhanced in 0.5 mM Ca2+. The selective suppression of rod input to HCs is probably due to the interplay of three factors: (1) the photocurrents, (2) voltage- and time-dependent membrane currents in photoreceptors, and (3) the Ca2-dependent synaptic gain between photoreceptors and HCs.

Keywords

Synaptic transmissionRelative responsivenessVoltage-intensity relationsResponse waveformSynaptic gain
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , March 1994 , pp. 363 - 368
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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