This project defines features of primate retinal function in the magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathways at the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) level. These features are adaptation and its spatial spread, the structure of RGC spike trains and the chromatic response of cells of the MC-pathway. It tests hypotheses about retinal physiology and about how retinal signals underlie performance. Precise knowledge obtained about retinal output provides a reference for interpreting cortical and behavioral data and for interpreting visual deficits in retinal disease. When a background continuously changes in luminance or chromaticity, as it does in most environments, the psychophysical detectability of superimposed test stimuli changes in complex ways. Under such conditions, the responses of RGCs are likely determined both by early retinal adaptation processes and by interactions of the response to the test with the response to the background. The relative influences of these effects on detection, and their spatial characteristics, will be measured. New techniques make it possible to measure information content and stimulus detectability in neuronal spike trains. Luminance and chromatic information contents (i.e., bits/sec, bits/spike) transmitted by cells of the MC- and PC-pathways will be measured using natural time series. In separate experiments, the detectability and spatiotemporal precision in responses to more conventional stimuli will be assessed. The MC-pathway provides a physiological substrate for a psychophysical luminance channel tapped in photometric tests. However, the MC-pathway shows chromatic response components whose signature is apparent psychophysically. The underlying physiological mechanism of these responses, and their spatial properties will be assessed.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01EY013112-01
Application #
6160027
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Program Officer
Oberdorfer, Michael
Project Start
2000-09-15
Project End
2004-08-31
Budget Start
2000-09-15
Budget End
2002-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$344,349
Indirect Cost
Name
State College of Optometry
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Optometry/Ophthalmol
DUNS #
152652764
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10036
Cooper, Bonnie; Lee, Barry B; Cao, Dingcai (2016) Macaque retinal ganglion cell responses to visual patterns: harmonic composition, noise, and psychophysical detectability. J Neurophysiol 115:2976-88
Li, Xiaobing; Chen, Yao; Lashgari, Reza et al. (2015) Mixing of Chromatic and Luminance Retinal Signals in Primate Area V1. Cereb Cortex 25:1920-37
Martin, Paul R; Lee, Barry B (2014) Distribution and specificity of S-cone (""blue cone"") signals in subcortical visual pathways. Vis Neurosci 31:177-87
Cooper, Bonnie; Lee, Barry B (2014) Independence and interaction of luminance and chromatic contributions to spatial hyperacuity performance. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 31:A394-400
Ennis, Robert; Cao, Dingcai; Lee, Barry B et al. (2014) Eye movements and the neural basis of context effects on visual sensitivity. J Neurosci 34:8119-29
Lee, Barry B (2014) Color coding in the primate visual pathway: a historical view. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 31:A103-12
Seim, Thorstein; Valberg, Arne (2013) Spatial sensitivity, responsivity, and surround suppression of LGN cell responses in the macaque. Vis Neurosci 30:153-67
Parry, Neil R A; Murray, Ian J; Panorgias, Athanasios et al. (2012) Simultaneous chromatic and luminance human electroretinogram responses. J Physiol 590:3141-54
Lee, Barry B; Shapley, Robert M; Hawken, Michael J et al. (2012) Spatial distributions of cone inputs to cells of the parvocellular pathway investigated with cone-isolating gratings. J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 29:A223-32
Sun, Hao; Cooper, Bonnie; Lee, Barry B (2012) Luminance and chromatic contributions to a hyperacuity task: isolation by contrast polarity and target separation. Vision Res 56:28-37

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