HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Barlow, H B Articles by Lennie, P Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Barlow, H B Articles by Lennie, P

1. Action potentials were recorded from optic nerve fibres of lightly anaesthetized cats while parts of the retina remote from the receptive field were stimulated by a shifting grating. 2. Vigorous responses can be obtained under these conditions, confirming McIlwain (1966), Krüger & Fischer (1973), and others. 3. These 'shift responses' are not caused by fluctuations of stray light because (a) they cannot be reduced by deliberately increasing or decreasing the light falling on the receptive field synchronously with the shifting grating; (b) a steady adapting light applied to the receptive field does not raise the threshold for the responses, whereas adapting light on the peripheral retina does, and (c) the threshold for the responses is elevated more following bleaching adaptation of the periphery than following bleaching adaptation of the centre. 4. Shift responses are strong, of short latency, and brief in duration in brisk-transient (Y-type) neurones. With few exceptions they are weak but long-lasting in brisk-sustained (X-type) neurones. 5. Shift responses are unlike responses from the main receptive field in having a distinct threshold; the magnitude of the response to weak gratings is not simply proportional to contrast, as is the case with weak stimuli applied to the receptive field. 6. It is thought that the excitatory pathway may involve amacrine cells, and that this mechanism may be concerned with the detection of the shifts of the image that occur with saccadic eye movements.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. G. Solomon, B. B. Lee, and H. Sun Suppressive surrounds and contrast gain in magnocellular-pathway retinal ganglion cells of macaque. J. Neurosci., August 23, 2006; 26(34): 8715 - 8726. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. S. Webb, C. J. Tinsley, C. J. Vincent, and A. M. Derrington Spatial Distribution of Suppressive Signals Outside the Classical Receptive Field in Lateral Geniculate Nucleus J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2005; 94(3): 1789 - 1797. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. L. Passaglia, C. Enroth-Cugell, and J. B. Troy Effects of Remote Stimulation on the Mean Firing Rate of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells J. Neurosci., August 1, 2001; 21(15): 5794 - 5803. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Demb, L. Haarsma, M. A. Freed, and P. Sterling Functional Circuitry of the Retinal Ganglion Cell's Nonlinear Receptive Field J. Neurosci., November 15, 1999; 19(22): 9756 - 9767. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]