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Darkness-induced Reduction of the Number of Synaptic Ribbons in Fish Retina

Abstract

It has long been known that the retinomotor response of the pigment epithelium and of the visual cells in lower vertebrates reflects changes in the activity of rods and cones that depend on the extent of light or dark adaptation. Although there have been several attempts to correlate changes in the structure of retinal photoreceptors and neurones with changes in their activity, no such unequivocal changes have been obtained on the ultrastructural level. The number of presynaptic clear vesicles in the photoreceptor terminal does not vary significantly under light and dark conditions1, 2. A recent paper on light-dependent changes of synaptic ribbons in the pineal gland3 suggested that the analogous structures in the vertebrate retina might show differences correlated with different degrees of light and dark adaptation.

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WAGNER, HJ. Darkness-induced Reduction of the Number of Synaptic Ribbons in Fish Retina. Nature New Biology 246, 53–55 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio246053a0

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