Receptive-field microstructure of blue-yellow ganglion cells in primate
retina
E. J. Chichilnisky1, 2
& D. A. Baylor1
1
Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, School
of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
2
Present address: The Salk Institute,
10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California
92037, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to E. J. Chichilnisky ej@salk.edu
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.
