This project defines features of primate retinal function in the magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC)pathways at the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) level. Using both physiological and psychophysical techniques, it tests hypotheses about retinal physiology and about how retinal signals underlie central processing of visual information. Precise knowledge of the retinal output provides a reference for interpreting cortical and behavioral data, and for interpreting visual deficits in retinal disease. Specific goals to be investigatedare: (1) When a background changes in time, color or spatial pattern, as must occur in natural environments, stimuli must be detected and analysed under dynamic conditions. The goal is to determine and model the RGC signal with such stimuli, and to determine how visual stimuli are detected and encoded under complex, changing conditions, ranging from simple modulated backgrounds to natural scenes. (2) All information leaving the retina is encoded within RGC spike trains. The goal is to specifically assess the spatiotemporal information inherent in the RGC signal with specially designed achromatic or chromatic patterns;by comparison with human performance, one will then be able to constrain models of how central mechanisms handle the retinal output. (3) Among mammals, red-green opponency is unique to humans and their primate relatives;it is based on the presence of L and M cones, which with S cones form the basis of trichromacy. Knowing how their signals combine in different cell types is central to our understanding of retinal wiring and function. A new method is described for specifying cone inputs to visual neurons. Also, the L,M-cone opponent input which is characteristic of PC cells provides some signal to MC cells; the origin and behavioral significance of the chromatic response component to MC cells is to be described and modeled.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EY013112-07
Application #
7583939
Study Section
Central Visual Processing Study Section (CVP)
Program Officer
Steinmetz, Michael A
Project Start
2000-09-15
Project End
2011-02-28
Budget Start
2009-03-01
Budget End
2010-02-28
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$322,833
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
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
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
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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