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Spatial properties of ganglion cell activity in the turtle retina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

John C. Armington ,
Alan R. Adolph  and
Shuang wu
John C. Armington
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Unit, Eye Research Institute, Boston
Alan R. Adolph
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Unit, Eye Research Institute, Boston
Shuang wu
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Northeastern University, Boston
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Abstract

Ganglion cell activity in response to drifting or alternating stimulus patterns was recorded in an eyecup preparation of the turtle. The stimuli were sinusoidal gratings with various spatial frequencies and spatial phases. Spike histograms of the activity were Fourier-analyzed. The results indicated that the retinal circuitry always functioned in a nonlinear manner. The average, first, and second harmonics of the activity were all a function of stimulus conditions, including spatial phase. Similar outcomes were obtained with full-field (retina-wide) and a small-field (1 mm diameter) stimulation. In the middle of the spatial-frequency range, the ratio of second to first harmonic activity was higher in response to static, contrast-reversing gratings than for drifting, constant-contrast ones. The findings suggest that, as distinct from the usual X, Y, and W segregation of ganglion cell properties in other retinas, there is a single class of cells whose responses seem to have attributes of one or another of the usual categories depending on stimulus characteristics. This may be the result of a degree of stimulus-dependent functional modification in the retinal input circuitry to the turtle ganglion cells.

Keywords

TurtleGanglion cellHarmonic analysisDrift and alternationNonlinear activity
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 6 , Issue 5 , May 1991 , pp. 439 - 450
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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