Summary
In the cat's retina we analyzed the sinewave light flicker response nonlinearity of Hm-type horizontal cells. (For a description of the three types of dynamic responses of cat retinal H-units see Foerster et al., 1977). For equal decreases in the Hm-response amplitude an increase in stimulus frequency had a much stronger linearizing effect than a decrease in stimulus area. Thus the distortion is not simply proportional to response amplitude. Both Hm- and Hn-units had frequency dependent nonlinear area-response functions. The receptive field of Hm-units increased dramatically with stimulus frequency, e.g. from 1 ° at 1 Hz to 8 ° or more at 44 Hz. Intensity transfer data could be described by the function Lb· (ob+Lb)−1 with b ≈ 1 for Hm-units and b ≈ 0.5 for Hn-units. Distortion values predicted from intensity transfer data were too high. It was also found that higher harmonics were attenuated more than the first harmonic at increasing frequencies. Therefore it appeared that some filtering preceded the amplitude compression stage.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arden, G.B., Ernst, W.: The effect of ions on the photoresponses of pigeon cones. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 211, 311–339 (1970)
Baylor, D.A., Fuortes, M. G. F.: Electrical responses of single cones in the retina of the turtle. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 207, 77–92 (1970)
Boynton, R.M., Whitten, D.N.: Visual adaptation in monkey cones: Recordings of late receptor potentials. Science 170, 1423–1426 (1970)
Brown, K.T., Murakami, M.: Rapid effects of light and dark adaptation upon the receptive field organization of S-potentials and late receptor potentials. Vision Res. 8, 1145–1171 (1968)
Copenhagen, D.R., Owen, W.G.: Functional characteristics of lateral interactions between rods in the retina of the snapping turtle. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 259, 251–282 (1976)
Dowling, J.E., Ripps, H.: Adaptation in skate photoreceptors. J. gen. Physiol. 60, 698–719 (1972)
Fain, G.L., Dowling, J.E.: Intracellular recordings from single rods and cones in the mudpuppy retina. Science 180, 1178–1181 (1973)
Fisher, S. K., Boycott, B.B.: Synaptic connections made by horizontal cells within the o.p.l. of the retina of the cat and the rabbit. Proc. Roy. Soc. B 186, 317–331 (1974)
Foerster M.H., van de Grind, W.A., Grüsser, O.-J.: Frequency transfer properties of three distinct types of cat horizontal cells. Exp. Brain Res. 29, 347–366 (1977)
Furman, G.G.: Comparison of models for subtractive and shunting lateral inhibition in receptor-neuron fields. Kybernetik 2, 257–274 (1965)
Gallego, A.: Comparative study of the horizontal cells in the vertebrate retina: Mammals and Birds. In: Neural principles in vision (eds. F. Zettler, R. Weiler), pp. 26–62. Berlin: Springer 1976
Grind, W.A. van de, Grüsser, O.-J., Lunkenheimer, H.U.: Temporal transfer properties of the afferent visual system. Psychophysical, neurophysiological and theoretical investigations. In: Handbook of Sensory Physiology. Vol. VII/3A (ed. R. Jung), pp. 431–573. Berlin: Springer 1973
Grüsser, O.-J., Kapp, H.: Reaktionen retinaler Neurone nach Lichtblitzen. II. Doppelblitze mit wechselndem Blitzinterval. Pflügers Arch. ges. Physiol. 266, 111–129 (1958)
Hering, E.: Zur Lehre vom Lichtsinne, V. Grundzüge einer Theorie des Lichtsinnes. Sitzungsber. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math.-Nat. Classe, Abth. III 69, 179–217 (1874)
Kleinschmidt, J., Dowling, J.E.: Intracellular recordings from Gecko photoreceptors during light and dark adaptation. J. gen. Physiol. 66, 617–648 (1975)
Kolb, H.: The connections between H-cells and photoreceptors in the retina of the cat: Electron microscopy of Golgi preparations. J. comp. Neurol. 155, 1–14 (1974)
Lasanksy, A., Marchiafava, P.L.: Light-induced resistance changes in retinal rods and cones of the tiger salamander. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 236, 171–191 (1974)
Lipetz, L. E.: The transfer functions of sensory intensity in the nervous system. Vision Res. 9, 1205–1234 (1969)
Marmarelis, P.Z., Naka, K.I.: Experimental analysis of a neural system. Two modelling approaches. Kybernetik 15, 11–26 (1974)
Naka, K.I.: Computer assisted analysis of S-potentials. Biophys. J. 9, 845–859 (1969)
Naka, K.I., Rushton, W.A.H.: S-potentials from colour units in the retina of fish (Cyprinidae). J. Physiol. (Lond.) 185, 536–555 (1966a)
Naka, K.I., Rushton, W.A.H.: An attempt to analyse colour reception by electrophysiology. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 185, 556–586 (1966b)
Naka, K.I., Rushton, W.A.H.: S-potentials from luminosity units in the retina of fish (Cyprinidae). J. Physiol. (Lond.) 185, 587–599 (1966c)
Naka, K.I., Rushton, W.A.H.: The generation and spread of S-potentials in fish (Cyprinidae). J. Physiol. (Lond.) 192, 437–461 (1967)
Nelson, R., Lützow, A.v., Kolb, H., Gouras, P.: Horizontal cells in cat retina with independent dendritic systems. Science 189, 137–139 (1975)
Niemeyer, G., Gouras, P.: Rod and cone signals in S-potentials of the isolated perfused cat eye. Vision Res. 13, 1603–1612 (1973)
Normann, R.A., Werblin, F.S.: Control or retinal sensitivity. I. Light and dark adaptation of vertebrate rods and cones. J. gen. Physiol. 63, 37–61 (1974)
Pasino, E., Marchiafava, P.L.: Transfer properties of rod and cone cells in the retina of the tiger salamander. Vision Res. 16, 381–386 (1976)
Penn, R.D., Hagins, W.A.: Kinetics of the photocurrent of retinal rods. Biophys. J. 12, 1073–1094 (1972)
Rosenthal, N.P.: Frequency response characteristics of an isolated photoreceptor. Kybernetik 16, 163–172 (1974)
Sobrino, J.A., Gallego, A.: Celulas amacrinas de la capa plexiform externa de la retina. Actas Soc. Esp. Cien. Fisiol. 12, 373–375 (1970)
Steinberg, R.H.: Rod-cone interaction in S-potentials from the cat retina. Vision Res. 9, 1331–1344 (1969)
Steinberg, R.H.: Incremental responses to light recorded from pigment epithelial cells and horizontal cells of the cat retina. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 217, 93–110 (1971)
Vakkur, G.J., Bishop, P.O., Kozal, W.: Visual optics in the cat, including posterior nodal distance and retinal landmarks. Vision Res. 3, 289–314 (1963)
Werblin, F.: Response of retinal cells to moving spots: Intracellular recording in Necturus maculosus. J. Neurophysiol. 33, 342–350 (1970)
Witkovsky, P., Dowling, J.E.: Synaptic relationships in the plexiform layers of carp retina. Z. Zellforsch. 100, 60–82 (1969)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Foerster, M.H., van de Grind, W.A. & Grüsser, O.J. The response of cat horizontal cells to flicker stimuli of different area, intensity and frequency. Exp Brain Res 29, 367–385 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236176
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00236176