Ganglion cells of a short-wavelength-sensitive cone pathway in New World monkeys: Morphology and physiology

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUIZ CARLOS L. SILVEIRA ◽  
BARRY B. LEE ◽  
ELIZABETH S. YAMADA ◽  
JAN KREMERS ◽  
DAVID M. HUNT ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
New World ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Dendritic Tree ◽  
New World Monkeys ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Old World ◽  
Contrast Gain ◽  
Cone Pathway

We have studied the morphology and physiology of retinal ganglion cells of a short-wavelength-sensitive cone (SWS-cone) pathway in dichromatic and trichromatic New World anthropoids, the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) and tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In Old World anthropoids, in which males and females are both trichromats, blue-ON/yellow-OFF retinal ganglion cells have excitatory SWS-cone and inhibitory middle- and long-wavelength-sensitive (MWS- and LWS-) cone inputs, and have been anatomically identified as small-field bistratified ganglion cells (SB-cells) (Dacey & Lee, 1994). Among retinal ganglion cells of New World monkeys, we find SB-cells which have very similar morphology to such cells in macaque and human; for example, the inner dendritic tree is larger and denser than the outer dendritic tree. We also find blue-on retinal ganglion cells of the capuchin to have physiological responses strongly resembling such cells of the macaque monkey retina; for example, responses were more sustained, with a gentler low frequency roll-off than MC-cells, and no evidence of contrast gain control. There was no difference between dichromatic and trichromatic individuals. The results support the view that SWS-cone pathways are similarly organized in New and Old World primates, consistent with the hypothesis that these pathways form a phylogenetically ancient color system.

M and P retinal ganglion cells of diurnal and nocturnal New-World monkeys

Neuroreport ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (16) ◽  
pp. 2077-2081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Carlos L. Silveira ◽  
Elizabeth Sumi Yamada ◽  
Victor Hugh Perry ◽  
Cristovam W. Picanço-Diniz
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
New World ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
New World Monkeys ◽  
Retinal Ganglion

Investigating visual mechanisms underlying scene brightness

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
UC Besenecker ◽  
JD Bullough
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Spectral Sensitivity ◽  
Short Wavelength ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Light Sources ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Brightness Perception ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Relative Brightness

Short-wavelength (<500 nm) output of light sources enhances scene brightness perception in the low-to-moderate photopic range. This appears to be partially explained by a contribution from short-wavelength cones. Recent evidence from experiments on humans suggests that intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) containing the photopigment melanopsin might also contribute to spectral sensitivity for scene brightness perception. An experiment was conducted to investigate this possibility at two different light levels, near 10 lx and near 100 lx. Subjects provided forced-choice brightness judgments and relative brightness magnitude judgments when comparing two different amber-coloured stimuli with similar chromaticities. A provisional brightness metric including an ipRGC contribution was able to predict the data with substantially smaller errors than a metric based on cone input only.

Contrast gain control in the primate retina: P cells are not X-like, some M cells are

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan A. Benardete ◽  
Ehud Kaplan ◽  
Bruce W. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
M Cells ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
M Cell ◽  
Contrast Gain ◽  
Contrast Gain Control ◽  
P Cells

AbstractPrimate retinal ganglion cells that project to the magnocellular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (M) are much more sensitive to luminance contrast than those ganglion cells projecting to the parvocellular layers (P). We now report that increasing contrast modifies the temporal-frequency response of M cells, but not of P cells. With rising contrast, the M cells' responses to sinusoidal stimuli show an increasing attenuation at low temporal frequencies while the P cells' responses scale uniformly. The characteristic features of M-cell dynamics are well described by a model originally developed for the X and Y cells of the cat, where the hypothesized nonlinear feedback mechanism responsible for this behavior has been termed the contrast gain control (Shapley & Victor, 1978, 1981; Victor, 1987, 1988). These data provide further physiological evidence that the M-cell pathway differs from the P-cell pathway with regard to the functional elements in the retina. Furthermore, the similarity in dynamics between primate M cells and cat X and Y retinal ganglion cells suggests the possibility that P cells, being different from either group, are a primate specialization not found in the retinae of lower mammals.

The dynamics of primate M retinal ganglion cells

1999 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 355-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
ETHAN A. BENARDETE ◽  
EHUD KAPLAN
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Response ◽  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Linear Filter ◽  
M Cells ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Contrast Gain ◽  
Contrast Gain Control

The retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of the primate form at least two classes—M and P—that differ fundamentally in their functional properties. M cells have temporal-frequency response characteristics distinct from P cells (Benardete et al., 1992; Lee et al., 1994). In this paper, we elaborate on the temporal-frequency responses of M cells and focus in detail on the contrast gain control (Shapley & Victor, 1979a,b). Earlier data showed that the temporal-frequency response of M cells is altered by the level of stimulus contrast (Benardete et al., 1992). Higher contrast shifts the peak of the frequency-response curve to higher temporal frequency and produces a phase advance. In this paper, by fitting the data to a linear filter model, the effect of contrast on the temporal-frequency response is subsumed into a change in a single parameter in the model. Furthermore, the model fits are used to predict the response of M cells to steps of contrast, and these predictions demonstrate the dynamic effect of contrast on the M cells' response. We also present new data concerning the spatial organization of the contrast gain control in the primate and show that the signal that controls the contrast gain must come from a broadly distributed network of small subunits in the surround of the M-cell receptive field.

Distribution of bipolar input to midget and parasol ganglion cells in marmoset retina

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
BAHAR ERIKÖZ ◽  
PATRICIA R. JUSUF ◽  
KUMIKO A. PERCIVAL ◽  
ULRIKE GRÜNERT
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Synaptic Input ◽  
New World ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
World Monkey ◽  
Dendritic Tree ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Response Characteristics ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Synaptic Markers

Different types of retinal ganglion cell show differences in their response properties. Here we investigated the question of whether these differences are related to the distribution of the synaptic input to the dendritic tree. We measured the distribution and density of synaptic input to the dendrites of midget and parasol ganglion cells in the retina of a New World monkey, the marmoset,Callithrix jacchus. Ganglion cells were retrogradely labeled by dye injection into parvocellular or magnocellular regions of the lateral geniculate nucleus and subsequently photo-filled. Presumed bipolar cell synapses were identified immunocytochemically using antibodies against the ribbon protein CtBP2 or the GluR4 subunit of the AMPA receptor. For all cells, colocalized immunoreactive puncta were distributed across the entire dendritic tree. The density of the presumed bipolar input to midget ganglion cells was comparable for both synaptic markers, suggesting that the AMPA receptor GluR4 subunit is expressed at all synapses between midget bipolar and midget ganglion cells. Midget ganglion cells had an average of nine colocalized immunoreactive puncta per 100 μm2dendritic surface, and parasol cells had an average of seven colocalized immunoreactive puncta per 100 μm2dendritic surface. The densities were comparable in different regions of the dendritic tree and were not influenced by the location of the cells with respect to the fovea. Our findings suggest that the differences in the response characteristics of midget and parasol cells are not due to differences in the density of synaptic input to their dendritic tree.

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