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Receptive-field microstructure of blue-yellow ganglion cells in primate retina

Nature Neuroscience volume 2, pages 889–893 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

We examined the functional microcircuitry of cone inputs to blue-ON/yellow-OFF (BY) ganglion cells in the macaque retina using multielectrode recording. BY cells were identified by their ON responses to blue light and OFF responses to red or green light. Cone-isolating stimulation indicated that ON responses originated in short (S) wavelength-sensitive cones, whereas OFF responses originated in both long (L) and middle (M) wavelength-sensitive cones. Stimulation with fine spatial patterns revealed locations of individual S cones in BY cell receptive fields. Neighboring BY cells received common but unequal inputs from one or more S cones. Inputs from individual S cones differed in strength, indicating different synaptic weights, and summed approximately linearly to control BY cell firing.

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Figure 1: Spike-triggered average stimulus intensity time course for nine simultaneously recorded macaque ganglion cells.
Figure 2: STA cone contrast time course for L, M and S cone-isolating stimuli in three BY ganglion cells from different preparations (a, b, c).
Figure 3: Receptive field of a BY cell, a nonopponent ON cell and a nonopponent OFF cell recorded simultaneously.
Figure 4: Strengths of individual cone inputs to two simultaneously recorded BY cells (a, b).
Figure 5: Locations of S-cone input to three groups of BY cells (a, b, c).
Figure 6: Firing rate as a function of S-cone stimulation (arbitrary units) for two simultaneously recorded BY cells (a, b).

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Dacey for providing technical advice and B. Hausen, J. Gutierrez and the Stanford University Cardiovascular Surgery Department for providing access to tissue from donor animals. We thank F. Rieke and B. Wandell for comments on the manuscript and R. Schneeveis for technical assistance. This work was supported by NIH grant EYO5750 (D.A.B.) and Helen Hay Whitney Foundation postdoctoral fellowship (E.J.C.).

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  1. E. J. Chichilnisky

    Present address: The Salk Institute, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA

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  1. Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, 94305, California, USA

    E. J. Chichilnisky & D. A. Baylor

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Correspondence to E. J. Chichilnisky.

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Chichilnisky, E., Baylor, D. Receptive-field microstructure of blue-yellow ganglion cells in primate retina. Nat Neurosci 2, 889–893 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/13189

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