Adaptation to background light enables contrast coding at rod bipolar cell synapses.

Our Research / Publications

janelia7_blocks-janelia7_biblio_header | block

Neuron. 2014 Jan 22;81(2):388-401. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.054

View Article on

Bin Ke J, Wang YV, Borghuis BG, Cembrowski MS, Riecke H, Kath WL, Demb JB, Singer JH

janelia7_blocks-janelia7_biblio_abstract | block

Abstract

Rod photoreceptors contribute to vision over an ∼ 6-log-unit range of light intensities. The wide dynamic range of rod vision is thought to depend upon light intensity-dependent switching between two parallel pathways linking rods to ganglion cells: a rod → rod bipolar (RB) cell pathway that operates at dim backgrounds and a rod → cone → cone bipolar cell pathway that operates at brighter backgrounds. We evaluated this conventional model of rod vision by recording rod-mediated light responses from ganglion and AII amacrine cells and by recording RB-mediated synaptic currents from AII amacrine cells in mouse retina. Contrary to the conventional model, we found that the RB pathway functioned at backgrounds sufficient to activate the rod → cone pathway. As background light intensity increased, the RB's role changed from encoding the absorption of single photons to encoding contrast modulations around mean luminance. This transition is explained by the intrinsic dynamics of transmission from RB synapses.

PMID: 24373883 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

node:body | entity_field

Main Menu (Mobile)- Block

Main Menu - Block

Adaptation to background light enables contrast coding at rod bipolar cell synapses.

Abstract

PMID: 24373883 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Janelia Authors