Center and surround excitation in the receptive fields of frog retinal ganglion cells.
We have reexamined the receptive fields of frog retinal ganglion cells focussing on their surround properties. Carefully excluding artifacts due to stimulation of the (Gaussian) RF center, we found that spiking responses can be elicited by step stimulation of any receptor type in the surrounds of all the classes 1-4 Maturana et al. (1960) (J. gen. Physiol. 43, 129-175). The surround responses are antagonized by the responsive center and suppressed by the inhibitory surround, but are seen because of their slower dynamics. The responsive surround differs spectrally from the center: in the latter, cones and green rods compete, in the former, their signals sum.
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000221:Adaptation, Ocular; D000818:Animals; D008027:Light; D009038:Motion; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011896:Rana temporaria; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology*; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013331:Strychnine / Q000494:pharmacology
D010852:Picrotoxin; D013331:Strychnine