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Interaction between rod and cone signals in responses of lateral geniculate neurons in dichromatic marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 1998

STEFAN WEISS
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen Eye Hospital, Röntgenweg 11, 72076 Tübingen, Germany Present address: Natural and Medical Science Institute NMI, Eberhardstraße 29, 72762 Reutlingen, Germany.
JAN KREMERS
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen Eye Hospital, Röntgenweg 11, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
JOHANNES MAURER
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen Eye Hospital, Röntgenweg 11, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

Abstract

Parvocellular (P-) and magnocellular (M-) cells in the marmoset LGN can receive prominent rod input up to relatively high illuminance levels (Kremers et al., 1997b). In the present paper, we quantify rod and cone input strengths under different retinal illuminance levels. The stimulus was based on the so-called “silent substitution” method. The activities of P- and M-cells of dichromatic animals were recorded extracellularly. We were able to adequately describe the response amplitudes and phases by a vector summation of rod and cone signals. At low retinal illuminance levels, the cells' responses were determined by rod and cone inputs. With increasing illuminances the strength of the cone input increased relative to the rod strength. But, we often found significant rod inputs up to illuminances equivalent to 700 td in the human eye or more. Rod input strength was more pronounced in cells with receptive fields at large retinal eccentricities. The phase differences between rod and cone inputs suggest that the rod signals lag about 45 ms behind the cone signals.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
1998 Cambridge University Press

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