Cone photoreceptor contributions to noise and correlations in the retinal output

Nat Neurosci. 2011 Sep 18;14(10):1309-16. doi: 10.1038/nn.2927.

Abstract

Transduction and synaptic noise generated in retinal cone photoreceptors determine the fidelity with which light inputs are encoded, and the readout of cone signals by downstream circuits determines whether this fidelity is used for vision. We examined the effect of cone noise on visual signals by measuring its contribution to correlated noise in primate retinal ganglion cells. Correlated noise was strong in the responses of dissimilar cell types with shared cone inputs. The dynamics of cone noise could account for rapid correlations in ganglion cell activity, and the extent of shared cone input could explain correlation strength. Furthermore, correlated noise limited the fidelity with which visual signals were encoded by populations of ganglion cells. Thus, a simple picture emerges: cone noise, traversing the retina through diverse pathways, accounts for most of the noise and correlations in the retinal output and constrains how higher centers exploit signals carried by parallel visual pathways.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / drug effects
  • Action Potentials / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Biophysical Phenomena / drug effects
  • Biophysical Phenomena / physiology
  • Biophysics
  • Dendrites / ultrastructure
  • Electric Stimulation / methods
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agents / pharmacology
  • Macaca
  • Models, Neurological
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Photic Stimulation / methods
  • Retina / cytology*
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / classification
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / drug effects
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / physiology*
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / classification
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / cytology
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / drug effects
  • Retinal Ganglion Cells / physiology*
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Visual Pathways / drug effects
  • Visual Pathways / physiology*

Substances

  • Excitatory Amino Acid Agents