Interactions of rod and cone signals in the mudpuppy retina

Abstract

Interactions between rod and cone signals in mudpuppy retinal neurones were investigated by intracellular recording. 2. The mudpuppy retina contains one kind of rod (lambda max = 525 nm) and one kind of cone (lambda max = 572 nm). The responses of receptors can be distinguished on the basis of their spectral sensitivities. 3. Rod and cone responses have different time courses of recovery and absolute sensitivities. Differences between receptor responses can be used to describe inputs to interneurones. 4. There are two spectral classes of horizontal cells: L-type and C-type. L-type cells are hyperpolarized by rods and cones in varying proportion, with some cells receiving little rod input. C-type cells are hyperpolarized by rods and depolarized by cones. 5. Bipolar cell receptive field centres receive input from cones or from rods and cones. There is no correlation between the spectral properties of centre responses and their polarity. 6. Antagonistic surrounds of bipolar cells show cone or rod and cone sensitivity. They are believed to be generated by the L-type horizontal cells. 7. Some bipolar cells exhibit chromatic interactions between cone signals in the centre and rod signals in the surround, which resemble those observed between the signals of different spectral classes of cones in species known to possess colour discrimination. 8. Amacrine and on-off ganglion cells have L-type responses showing both rod and cone sensitivity. 9. It is proposed that interactions between rod and cone signals observed in mudpuppy also exist in primate retina and are at least partially responsible for certain psychophysical observations of rod-cone interactions.