Spatiotemporal configuration dependent pairing of nerve events in dark-adapted human vision.

Abstract

In the model presented here, in the dark any single quantum absorption in a rod or cone produces a subliminal excitation. Subliminal excitations from both halves of a twin unit pair in the retina for the perception of light from the stimulus. A twin unit contains either two red or two green cones. The twin units are intertwined in triples of two red units and one green unit in a hexagon called a trion. P satellite rods surround each cone, P being approximately proportional to the square of eccentricity. A successful pairing for light perception represents-through the points of time and locations of the creation of its partners in the retina--a direction event with two possible polarities and with the orientation of the elongated shape of the twin unit. The polarity of the event depends on which of the two partners arrives first at the twin's pairing facility. Simultaneous events and successive events with the same polarity in adjacent units that are aligned along one of the three orientations of the hexagonal retinal mosaic pair in the cortex for the perception of edge and of movement. Inter-twin pairing products of the three differently oriented sets of aligned twins are independent of each other and sum vectorially in the cortex. This system of three sub-retinas is called the retrinet. Two one-quantum excitations in any of a twin's receptors make the percept colored. The odd blue cone produces already a blue signal for a single one-quantum excitation. Intra-receptor pairing in a rod, a red cone and a green cone is for white, red, and green respectively. Red and green cone products of a trion cross-pair in the retina and produce a yellow signal. Red and green cone products of a hexagon of adjacent trions cross-pair in the cortex and produce a white signal. This large hexagon with a total of seven trions is called a persepton. After subliminal excitations in a twin have paired successfully, further subliminal receptor excitations in neighboring and aligned twins are expressed to a certain extent in the percept's area, duration and color. Earlier experiments on absolute and color thresholds are the basis for this theory, which is developed in this paper.