Effects of background illumination on the horizontal cell responses in the tiger salamander retina

Luminosity horizontal cells in the turtle retina respond approximately linearly to visual stimuli with contrast levels spanning a large part of the physiological range. We characterized the response properties of these cells under conditions of low photopic background illumination by measuring their spatial and temporal frequency transfer functions. Our experimental results indicate in two ways that, under these conditions, feedback from luminosity horizontal cells to cones does not play a major role in the mechanisms underlying the spatial and temporal tuning of horizontal cell responses. First, the shape of the spatial transfer function depended only weakly on the temporal frequency with which it was measured. Second, the shape of the temporal transfer function depended only weakly on the spatial frequency with which it was measured.

Download Full-text

Effects of prolonged light exposure, GABA, and glycine on horizontal cell responses in tiger salamander retina

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1989.61.5.1025 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 61 (5) ◽

pp. 1025-1035 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

X. L. Yang ◽

S. M. Wu

Keyword(s):

Response Time ◽

Rise Time ◽

Time Course ◽

Light Exposure ◽

Horizontal Cell ◽

High Dose ◽

Tiger Salamander ◽

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Time To Peak ◽

Cell Responses

1. The effects of prolonged light exposure, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glycine on the horizontal cell (HC) light responses were studied in the superfused flat-mounted isolated retinas of the larval tiger salamander. 2. Under prolonged dark-adapted conditions, the time-to-peak of the HC light response was approximately 2-4 s, and after the termination of prolonged (6-8 min) light exposure, the time-to-peak became approximately 0.5-1 s. 3. This prolonged light-induced change in response rise time was not observed in either photoreceptors or bipolar cells, and thus the change in HC response rise time may occur postsynaptically in the HC membrane. 4. Application of 100 microM of GABA mimicked prolonged darkness and reversibly slowed down the HC response rise time, and application of 100 microM bicuculline mimicked prolonged light exposure and reversibly sped up the HC response rise time. 5. Glycine also slowed down the HC response rise course, but its effect was not observable until the concentration was raised to 1-3 mM. Strychnine did not exert any effect on HC responses when applied alone, but it could reverse the glycine actions. 6. The actions of glycine disappeared in the presence of bicuculline, indicating that the GABA and glycine pathways were probably not independent. Application of 5-10 mM glycine produced an increase of flow of preloaded 3H-GABA from the retina. 7. These results indicate that GABA may be the primary modulator that slows down the kinetics of the postsynaptic membrane proteins in the HCs. The extracellular concentration of GABA is probably high in prolonged darkness, and it is low after prolonged light exposure. Glycine, when applied at high dose, results in an increase of GABA release that slows down the HC response time course. 8. Prolonged darkness and light exposure appear to modulate the HC response in the time domain through GABA, and this change in HC response time course is probably responsible for shaping the bipolar cell responses and making the retinal signals more transient under light-adapted conditions.

Download Full-text

Effects of background illumination on cat horizontal cell responses

Vision Research ◽

10.1016/0042-6989(91)90200-o ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 919-932 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

M.J.M. Lankheet ◽

R.J.A. van Wezel ◽

W.A. van de Grind

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Cell ◽

Background Illumination ◽

Cell Responses

Download Full-text

Plasticity of cone horizontal cell functioning in cyprinid fish retina: effects of background illumination of moderate intensity

Journal of Neurocytology ◽

10.1007/bf01260997 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 701-710 ◽

Cited By ~ 57

Author(s):

M. B. A. Djamgoz ◽

J. E. G. Downing ◽

M. Kirsch ◽

D. J. Prince ◽

H. -J. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Cell ◽

Cyprinid Fish ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Background Illumination ◽

Fish Retina

Download Full-text

Selective potentiation of retinal horizontal cell responses to l-glutamate by d-aspartate

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Comparative Pharmacology ◽

10.1016/0306-4492(82)90090-9 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

pp. 241-247

Author(s):

A.T. Ishida

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Cell ◽

Cell Responses

Download Full-text

Lateral contacts and interactions of horizontal cell dendrites in the retina of the larval tiger salamander

The Journal of Physiology ◽

10.1113/jphysiol.1980.sp013188 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 301 (1) ◽

pp. 59-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

A. Lasansky

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Cell ◽

Tiger Salamander

Download Full-text

Background illumination reduces horizontal cell receptive-field size in both normal and 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned goldfish retinas

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s0952523800009731 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 441-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

William H. Baldridge ◽

Alexander K. Ball

Keyword(s):

Receptive Field ◽

Dopamine Release ◽

Horizontal Cell ◽

Field Size ◽

Dye Coupling ◽

Background Illumination ◽

Receptive Field Size ◽

Endogenous Dopamine ◽

6 Hydroxydopamine ◽

Effect Of Light

AbstractThe effect of background illumination on horizontal cell receptive-field size and dye coupling was investigated in isolated superfused goldfish retinas. Background illumination reduced both horizontal cell receptive-field size and dye coupling. The effect of light on horizontal cell receptive-field size was mimicked by treating the retina with 20 μM dopamine. To test the hypothesis that the effects of light were due to endogenous dopamine release, the effect of light was studied in goldfish retinas in which dopaminergic interplexiform cells were lesioned using 6-hydroxydopamine treatment. In lesioned retinas, background illumination reduced both horizontal cell receptive-field size and dye coupling. Furthermore, the effect of background illumination on unlesioned animals could not be blocked by prior treatment with the D1 dopamine receptor antagonist SCH-23390. These results suggest that, in goldfish retina, dopamine release is not the only mechanism by which horizontal cell receptive-field size could be reduced by light.

Download Full-text

Contribution of rod, on-bipolar, and horizontal cell light responses to the ERG of dogfish retina

Visual Neuroscience ◽

10.1017/s0952523899163119 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 503-511 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

R.A. SHIELLS ◽

G. FALK

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Cell ◽

Time Course ◽

Horizontal Cell ◽

Full Range ◽

Bipolar Cells ◽

Horizontal Cells ◽

Negative Wave ◽

Low Light ◽

Cell Responses ◽

Light Intensities

Simultaneous extracellular ERG and intracellular recordings from horizontal and ON-bipolar cells were obtained from the dark-adapted retina of the dogfish. The light intensity–peak response relation (IR) and time course of on-bipolar cell responses closely resembled that of the ERG b-wave, but only at low light intensities [<10 rhodopsin molecules bleached per rod (Rh*)]. Block of on-bipolar cell responses with 50 μM 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB) abolished the b-wave and unmasked a vitreal-negative wave. Subtraction from the control ERG resulted in the isolation of a vitreal-positive ERG with an IR which matched that of on-bipolar cells over the full range of light intensities. The D.C. component of the ERG arises as a result of sustained depolarization of on-bipolar cells in response to long (>0.5 s) dim light stimuli, or following bright light flashes. The IR of horizontal cells and the vitreal-negative wave unmasked by APB could be matched by scaling at low light intensities (<5 Rh*). However, horizontal cell responses saturated at about 30 Rh*, while the vitreal-negative wave continued to increase in amplitude. The time course of horizontal cell membrane current with dim flashes could be matched to the rising phase of the vitreal-negative wave, assuming that the delay in generating the voltage response in horizontal cells is due to their long (100 ms) membrane time constant. Blocking post-photoreceptor activity resulted in a much smaller vitreal-negative wave than that unmasked by APB alone. We conclude that the b-wave arises from on-bipolar cell depolarization, while the leading edge of the a-wave is a composite of the change in extracellular voltage drop across the rod layer and a component (proximal PIII) reflecting a decrease in extracellular K+ as horizontal cell synaptic channels close with light.

Download Full-text