The involvement of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the organization of cat retinal ganglion cell receptive fields. A study with picrotoxin and bicuculline.
The effects of picrotoxin and bicuculline upon the discharge pattern of center-surround organized cat retinal ganglion cells of X and Y type were studied. All experiments were carried out under scotopic or possibly low mesopic conditions; mostly but not exclusively on-center cells were studied. Stimuli were chosen so that responses were either; (a) "purely" central; (b) surround dominated; or (c) clearly mixed but center dominated. In each case a pre-drug control response was estaboished, the drug was administered intravenously, and its subsequent effect upon the response was observed. In Y cells both picrotoxin and bicucullin caused the center-driven component of the response to become somewhat reduced in magnitude, while the surround component was substantially reduced. There was thus a change in center-surround balance in favor of the center-driven component. Responses of X cells remained virtually unaffected by both picrotoxin and bicuculline.
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000613:Aminobutyrates / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002415:Cats; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
D000613:Aminobutyrates; D001640:Bicuculline; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D007546:Isoquinolines; D010852:Picrotoxin