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Scotopic and mesopic light adaptation in the cat's retina

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Zusammenfassung

Die Auswirkungen der Helladaptation auf das Entladungsverhalten von on-Zentrum Neuronen der Katzenretina wurden im skotopischen und mesopischen Leuchtdichtebereich untersucht (10−5–1 cd/m2). Bei Verwendung diffuserLichtreize steigt die Daueraktivität aller on-Zentrum Neurone mit steigender Adaptationleuchtdichte bis zu Leuchtdichten zwischen 10−3 und 10−2 cd/m2 an. Bei weiterer Erhöhung der Leuchtdichte bleibt die Daueraktivität konstant oder nimmt wieder ab. Der Verlauf der Daueraktivität eines Neurons bei steigender Adaptationsleuchtdichte steht in Zusammenhang mit Veränderungen der receptiven Feldstruktur und der Empfindlichkeit der Retina. Die Empfindlichkeit der Retina wurde bei verschiedenen AdaptationsleuchtdichtenI A durch die Leuchtdichte ΔI eines Testreizes gemessen, der zu einer konstanten Schwellenreaktion führte. Bei ansteigendemI A nimmt ΔI proportionalI A nzu, wobein zwischen 0,45 und 0,75 liegt. Entsprechend wurde die Reiz-Reaktionskennlinie eines Neurons bei Veränderung des Adaptationszustandes um weniger als die logarithmische Differenz der Adaptationsleuchtdichten auf der Intenistätsachse verschoben. Die Reiz-Reaktionskennlinien eines Neurons bei verschiedenen Adaptationszuständen sind bei halblogarithmischer Auftragung parallel zueinander verschoben. Sie sind S-förmig mit einem geraden Anteil über 1,5 log Einheiten. Bei allen Adaptationszuständen wurden sie am besten durch eine Logarithmus-Funktion beschrieben. Es wird gefolgert, daß Adaptation und räumliche Summation Funktionen verschiedener Schichten der Retina sind und die Ganglienzellen nicht aktiv am Adaptationsmechanismus beteiligt sind.

Summary

The effects of light adaptation on retinal on-center ganglion cell firing were measured in the scotopic-mesopic range (10−5–1 cd/m2). Using diffuse adapting stimuli, the maintained discharge rate of all on-center units increases with increasing adapting luminance up to 10−3–10−2 cd/m2. Above this luminance it levels off or decreases. The change of the maintained discharge rate with increasing adapting luminances was related to changes in the receptive field organization of the unit and to changes in retinal sensitivity.

The sensitivity of the retina at the different adapting luminances was measured by determining the luminance ΔI of a test spot which elicited a constant criterion ganglion cell response. ΔI increased with increasing adapting luminance not proportional toI A (Weber's law) but proportional toI A n(n varying between 0.45 and 0.75). Correspondingly, by changing the adaptation level, the intensity: response curve of a ganglion cell for small center stimuli was displaced on the intensity-axis by less than the adapting luminance step. The intensity response-curves at the different adaptation levels were parallel and S-shaped in the semilogarithmic coordinates with a straight course over 1.5 log units. The intensity-response relation for small center stimuli was best fitted by a log-function at all adaptation levels. It is concluded that the ganglion cell itself is not involved in the adaptation mechanism. Adaptation and spatial summation of signals occur at different levels of the retina.

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  1. Abteilung für Neurophysiologie, Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie, München

    Bert Sakmann & Otto D. Creutzfeldt

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  1. Bert Sakmann
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  2. Otto D. Creutzfeldt
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Sakmann, B., Creutzfeldt, O.D. Scotopic and mesopic light adaptation in the cat's retina. Pflugers Arch. 313, 168–185 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586245

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586245

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