Response Persistence of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells to the Temporally Discrete Presentation of Sinewave Gratings

Abstract

The neural basis of visible persistence is not well understood. In the present study the initial onset responses of cat retinal ganglion cells to the abrupt onset and offset of sinewave gratings were examined to determine if ganglion cells display a degree of response persistence that might account for the phenomenon of visible persistence. The responses of X and Y ganglion cell axons were tested using single-unit extracellular recording techniques. Both cell types displayed some degree of response persistence and over a limited range of short stimulus durations response persistence was inversely related to stimulus duration. These data suggest that neural persistence at the ganglion cell level may be the initial physiological basis for some types of visible persistence.

Key Words:

• cat
• retina
• ganglion cells
• X-cells
• Y-cells
• persistence