QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, April 12, 2006, 26(15):3959-3970; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5148-05.2006

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science 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 Web of Science (16) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dunn, F. A. Articles by Rieke, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dunn, F. A. Articles by Rieke, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Controlling the Gain of Rod-Mediated Signals in the Mammalian Retina

Felice A. Dunn,¹ Thuy Doan,¹ Alapakkam P. Sampath,³ and Fred Rieke^2,3

¹Program in Neurobiology and Behavior, ²Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and ³Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195

Correspondence should be addressed to Fred Rieke, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, HSB Room G424, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Email: rieke{at}u.washington.edu

Effective sensory processing requires matching the gain of neural responses to the range of signals encountered. For rod vision, gain controls operate at light levels at which photons arrive rarely at individual rods, light levels too low to cause adaptation in rod phototransduction. Under these conditions, adaptation within a conserved pathway in mammalian retina maintains sensitivity as light levels change. To relate retinal signals to behavioral work on detection at low light levels, we measured how background light affects the gain and noise of primate ganglion cells. To determine where and how gain is controlled, we tracked rod-mediated signals across the mouse retina. These experiments led to three main conclusions: (1) the primary site of adaptation at low light levels is the synapse between rod bipolar and AII amacrine cells; (2) cellular noise after the gain control is nearly independent of background intensity; and (3) at low backgrounds, noise in the circuitry, rather than rod noise or fluctuations in arriving photons, limits ganglion cell sensitivity. This work provides physiological insights into the rich history of experiments characterizing how rod vision avoids saturation as light levels increase.

Key words: adaptation; retina; rod; noise; rod vision; gain control

---

Received Dec. 2, 2005; revised Feb. 27, 2006; accepted Feb. 28, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Fred Rieke, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, HSB Room G424, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Email: rieke{at}u.washington.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. M. Abd-El-Barr, M. E. Pennesi, S. M. Saszik, A. J. Barrow, J. Lem, D. E. Bramblett, D. L. Paul, L. J. Frishman, and S. M. Wu Genetic Dissection of Rod and Cone Pathways in the Dark-Adapted Mouse Retina J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2009; 102(3): 1945 - 1955. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Kang and J. G. Malpeli Dim-Light Sensitivity of Cells in the Awake Cat's Lateral Geniculate and Medial Interlaminar Nuclei: A Correlation With Behavior J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2009; 102(2): 841 - 852. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Cao, I. Masuho, H. Okawa, K. Xie, J. Asami, P. J. Kammermeier, D. M. Maddox, T. Furukawa, T. Inoue, A. P. Sampath, et al. Retina-Specific GTPase Accelerator RGS11/G{beta}5S/R9AP Is a Constitutive Heterotrimer Selectively Targeted to mGluR6 in ON-Bipolar Neurons J. Neurosci., July 22, 2009; 29(29): 9301 - 9313. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Snellman, D. Zenisek, and S. Nawy Switching between transient and sustained signalling at the rod bipolar-AII amacrine cell synapse of the mouse retina J. Physiol., June 1, 2009; 587(11): 2443 - 2455. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Beaudoin, M. B. Manookin, and J. B. Demb Distinct expressions of contrast gain control in parallel synaptic pathways converging on a retinal ganglion cell J. Physiol., November 15, 2008; 586(22): 5487 - 5502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Rieke, A. Lee, and F. Haeseleer Characterization of Ca2+-Binding Protein 5 Knockout Mouse Retina Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., November 1, 2008; 49(11): 5126 - 5135. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. B. Demb Functional circuitry of visual adaptation in the retina J. Physiol., September 15, 2008; 586(18): 4377 - 4384. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Kerschensteiner, H. Liu, C. W. Cheng, J. Demas, S. H. Cheng, C.-c. Hui, R. L. Chow, and R. O. L. Wong Genetic Control of Circuit Function: Vsx1 and Irx5 Transcription Factors Regulate Contrast Adaptation in the Mouse Retina J. Neurosci., March 5, 2008; 28(10): 2342 - 2352. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Umino, E. Solessio, and R. B. Barlow Speed, Spatial, and Temporal Tuning of Rod and Cone Vision in Mouse J. Neurosci., January 2, 2008; 28(1): 189 - 198. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-J. Pang, M. M. Abd-El-Barr, F. Gao, D. E. Bramblett, D. L. Paul, and S. M. Wu Relative contributions of rod and cone bipolar cell inputs to AII amacrine cell light responses in the mouse retina J. Physiol., April 15, 2007; 580(2): 397 - 410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Greschner, A. Thiel, J. Kretzberg, and J. Ammermuller Complex Spike-Event Pattern of Transient ON-OFF Retinal Ganglion Cells J Neurophysiol, December 1, 2006; 96(6): 2845 - 2856. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help