title: Comparison of the responses of AII amacrine cells in the dark- and light-adapted rabbit retina.
abstract: We studied the light-evoked responses of AII amacrine cells in the rabbit retina under dark- and light-adapted conditions. In contrast to the results of previous studies, we found that AII cells display robust responses to light over a 6-7 log unit intensity range, well beyond the operating range of rod photoreceptors. Under dark adaptation, AII cells showed an ON-center/OFF-surround receptive-field organization. The intensity-response profile of the center-mediated response component followed a dual-limbed sigmoidal function indicating a transition from rod to cone mediation as stimulus intensities were increased. Following light adaptation, the receptive-field organization of AII cells changed dramatically. Light-adapted AII cells showed both ON- and OFF-responses to stimulation of the center receptive field, but we found no evidence for an antagonistic surround. Interestingly, the OFF-center response appeared first following rapid light adaptation and was then replaced gradually over a 1-4 min period by the emerging ON-center response component. Application of the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist APB, the ionotropic glutamate blocker CNQX, 8-bromo-cGMP, and the nitric oxide donor SNAP all showed differential effects on the various center-mediated responses displayed by dark- and light-adapted AII cells. Taken together, these pharmacological results indicated that different synaptic circuits are responsible for the generation of the different AII cell responses. Specifically, the rod-driven ON-center responses are apparently derived from rod bipolar cell synaptic inputs, whereas the cone-driven ON-center responses arise from signals crossing the gap junctions between AII cells and ON-center cone bipolar cells. Additionally, the OFF-center response of light-adapted AII cells reflects direct synaptic inputs from OFF-center cone bipolar cells to AII dendritic processes in the distal inner plexiform layer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Bloomfield
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000221:Adaptation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D000613:Aminobutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D026423:S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine
chemical_list: D000613:Aminobutyrates; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D026423:S-Nitroso-N-Acetylpenicillamine; D010396:Penicillamine; D006152:Cyclic GMP; C012729:2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid