Polarization sensitivity of crayfish photoreceptors is correlated with their termination sites in the lamina ganglionaris

Abstract

1. Crayfish,Procambarus clarkii, photoreceptor sensitivity to the e-vector of polarized light was measured with micropipettes filled with Lucifer Yellow. The terminals of the dye injected cells were located in the two plexiform layers of the lamina ganglionaris (first optic ganglion). 2. Receptors with greater sensitivity to the horizontal e-vector orientation projected their terminals to the distal plexiform layer (epl1) (Fig. 2). Conversely, receptors with greater sensitivity to the vertical e-vector projected their terminals to the proximal plexiform layer (epl2) (Fig. 3). 3. There was no spatial overlap in the locations of the two functional classes of receptor terminals (Fig. 4, Table 1). Thus monopolar cells with dendrites restricted to epl1 and epl2 (M3 and M4 of Nassel (1976) and Nassel and Waterman (1977)) can be unique information channels for horizontally and vertically polarized light respectively.