Threshold and chromatic sensitivity changes in fish cone horizontal cells following prolonged darkness

Abstract

The light-evoked responses of L-type cone horizontal cells in the teleost retina were studied following a prolonged period of complete darkness. Intact, isolated white perch retinas were superfused in complete darkness for more than 90 min, following which horizontal cells were impaled without the aid of any light flashes. Following this prolonged darkness, L-type cone horizontal cell light responses to dim and bright full-field stimuli were slow and small in amplitude and response duration to bright stimuli was considerably longer than stimulus duration. In addition, absolute threshold was 2 log units lower than typical for cone horizontal cells and spectral sensitivity to shorter wavelengths was increased. Following bright light stimulation, light responses became more transient and increased in amplitude, reaching 40–50 mV to bright flashes. Moreover, absolute threshold increased and responses to spectral stimuli were similar to those observed typically for L-type cone horizontal cells after light-sensitization. These results suggest that following prolonged darkness, cone input to cone horizontal cells is reduced and rod input is present.