TY - JOUR T1 - Three Distinct Blue-Green Color Pathways in a Mammalian Retina JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 1760 LP - 1768 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3901-13.2014 VL - 34 IS - 5 AU - Stephen L. Mills AU - Lian-Ming Tian AU - Hideo Hoshi AU - Christopher M. Whitaker AU - Stephen C. Massey Y1 - 2014/01/29 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/5/1760.abstract N2 - In mammalian retinae, the first steps in the process of discrimination of color are mediated by color-opponent neurons that respond with opposite polarity to signals from short (S, blue) and longer wavelength (M, green or L, red) cones. Primates also contain a second system that is different from M and L cones. Although pathways responding to the onset of S-cone stimulation (S-ON) are well known, the existence of bipolar cells and retinal ganglion cells that respond to the offset of S-cone stimulation (S-OFF) has been controversial. We have recorded from and stained three different types of S/M color-opponent ganglion cells in the rabbit retina that are distinguished by the polarity of their responses to S-cone stimulation, the stratification pattern of their dendrites, and the distinct mechanisms underlying their color-opponent responses. We describe an S-ON and an S-OFF pathway formed by amacrine cells inverting the S-ON signal. Most importantly, we also provide both anatomical and physiological evidence for a direct S-OFF pathway dependent on an S-OFF cone bipolar cell. The results indicate a greater diversity of pathways for processing of signals from S-cones than previously suspected. ER -