Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Cone mechanisms initiating response of on—off goldfish optic fibres

Nature volume 249, pages 668–670 (1974)Cite this article

Abstract

ON–OFF ganglion cells are common in a wide variety of vertebrate retinae1, including those of primates (F. M. de Monasterio and P. Gouras, personal communication). These units respond with a short, high-frequency burst of action potentials when a stationary light is turned on in the receptive field and also when the light is turned off. Because a dark or light spot moving across the receptive field elicits a vigorous response, Maturana et al.2 called on–off units in the frog “moving contrast detectors”.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Schwartz, E. A., J. Physiol., Lond., 230, 1–14 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Maturana, H. R., Lettvin, J. Y., McCulloch, W. S., and Pitts, W. H., J. gen. Physiol., 43, 129–175S (1960).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Marks, W. B., J. Physiol. Lond., 178, 14–32 (1965).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Daw, N. W., J. Physiol. Lond., 197, 567–592 (1968).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Daw, N. W., and Beauchamp, R. B., Vision Res., 12, 1849–1856 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Beauchamp, R. D., and Lovasik, J. V., J. Neurophysiol., 36, 925–939 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kaneko, A., J. Physiol. Lond., 235, 133–153 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Barlow, H. B., J. Physiol. Lond., 119, 69–88 (1953).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kaneko, A., J. Physiol. Lond., 207, 623–633 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Toyoda, J., Vision Res., 12, 283–294 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Witkovsky, P., and Dowling, J. E., Z. Zellforsch. mikrosk. Anat., 100, 60–82 (1969).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Murakami, M., and Shigematsu, Y., Vision Res., 10, 1–10 (1970)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Toyoda, J., Hashimoto, H., and Ohtsu, K., Vision Res., 13, 295–307 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    ROSS D. BEAUCHAMP

Authors
  1. ROSS D. BEAUCHAMP
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

BEAUCHAMP, R. Cone mechanisms initiating response of on—off goldfish optic fibres. Nature 249, 668–670 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249668a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249668a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing