Degrees Of Visual Field Research Articles

The number and distribution of ganglion cells in the retina of the brush-tailed possum, Trichosurus vulpecula.

The distribution of ganglion cells in the retina of the adult brush-tailed possum was determined by light microscopy of Nissl stained retinal whole mounts. Qualitatively, the distribution in this marsupial retina shows features, such as an area centralis and a visual streak, which are found separately or together in eutherian mammals. The possum retina is avascular and the eye has a weak tapetum in the superior fundus.The retinal area is 260 mm2 and there are about 280,000 ganglion cells. The diameters of the ganglion cell somas range from 5 micrometer to 26 micrometer and the frequency distribution of soma size classes is skewed and unimodal (mean" 12.8 micrometer) with 62% of the cells falling in the class of diameters 7-13 micrometer. Maps of ganglion cell density were made for five retinae. These maps show that there is a band of high ganglion cell density (greater 2,000 cells mm-2) which extends across the retina about 0.6 mm above the optic disc in the tapetal region of the fundus and which lies in the plane of the animal's horizon when the eyes are in their primary position. By analogy with other species, this band is termed the visual streak. Near the temporal end of the visual streak, 2.9 mm from the optic disc, the ganglion cell density reaches a localized maximum of approximately 5,000 cells mm-2 thereby defining the centre of an area centralis (greater than 3,000 cells mm-2). The posterior nodal distance of the possum eye was estimated at 7.8 mm, which corresponds to a retinal magnification of 136 micrometer per degree of visual field. There are up to 30,000 glial cells which lie in, or slightly vitread to, the layer of the retinal ganglion cells.

Topography of visual and somatosensory projections to mouse superior colliculus.

In adult mice of the C57BL/6J strain the projection of the visual field was systematically mapped under direct vision. As in other vertebrate species the nasal (anterior) field projected anterolaterally, and the inferior field posterolaterally. Values of magnification-1 (m-1, or degrees of visual field per millimeter tectal surface) were calculated over most of the tectum, for measurements in the coronal and sagittal planes. Whereas m-1 was fairly constant for measurement pairs in sagittal planes, for coronal planes there was a rather large, elongated, horizontally oriented area in the upper field of vision within which m-1 was smaller than elsewhere. In this area m-1 was anisotropic, with a ratio of almost 2:1 between sagittal and coronal planes. In a previously study we had observed that many cells recorded in deeper tectal layers responded to somatosensory stimulation, with whiskers especially conspicuous. In a given penetration perpendicular to the tectal surface, somatosensory receptive fields recorded in the deeper tectum were always concerned with that group of whiskers or with those parts of the body that crossed the regions of visual field represented in the superficial layers directly above. Given this information on the visual coordinates associated with certain somatosensory fields, the detailed mapping of the visual field onto the tectum made it possible to prepare a map of the somatosensory projection on the tectum. The resulting representation differed markedly from maps described for the classic somatosensory pathway. In the tectum the somatosensory map was dictated by the visual-field projection rather than by the peripheral tactile innervation density. Whiskers were thus featured much more prominently in the tectum, and structures close to the eye, such as the pinna and cheek, receive more representation than the tail or hindpaws.

Receptive field organization of ganglion cells in the frog retina: contributions from cones, green rods and red rods.

1. The impulse discharge of ganglion cells was recorded with extracellular micro-electrodes in the excised and opened eye of the common frog, Rana temporaria. 2. When a single unit was isolated, the cell type was first determined according to the Maturana, Lettvin, McCulloch & Pitts (1960) classification with the aid of varying moving and stationary stimuli. 3. Class 4 cells respond only to a decrease of light when cones are stimulated but respond to an increase of light when green rods are stimulated. A distinct class of deviating class 4 cells was found that give a brief high frequency burst at 'off' from their small excitatory receptive fields (ERF); unlike typical class 4 cells they possess a purely inhibitory surrounding field (IRF).4. The contributions from the cones and the green and red rods were isolated by measuring the thresholds of the discharges with on-off stimuli of varying wave-lengths against strong yellow backgrounds, or against a very weak background or no background at all. The spatial distribution of the contributions to the ERF was determined by mapping threshold profiles, and additional information about ERF and IRF was obtained from area-threshold curves. 5. The cone-mediated ERFs were found to be 0-06-0-50 mm wide (1-5-12 degrees of visual field), which agrees well with the sizes of the dendritic trees of the ganglion cells. The green rod-mediated ERFs can be 0-5-1-5 mm wide and have less distinct boundaries than the cone-mediated. The green rod-mediated ERF of an individual ganglion cell is always larger than the cone-mediated ERF of the same cell. The red rod-mediated ERFs seem to be somewhat larger than the cone-mediated but smaller than the green rod-mediated. 6. The green rods contribute only to the on thresholds of class 1, 2 and 4 cells, but both to on and off in typical class 3 cells, while the cones contribute to on and off in classes 1-3 and only to off in class 4.7. When the red rods begin to contribute during dark adaptation they seem to enter the cone but not the green rod channels. 8. All three receptor types contribute to the IRF surrounding the ERF of classes 1, 2, 3 and deviating class 4 cells. Normal class 4 cells have no IRF. 9. The organization of the receptive fields is discussed in relation to the anatomy and electrophysiology of the cell types transmitting the signals from the receptors to the ganglion cells.

Topography of the retina and striate cortex and its relationship to visual acuity in rhesus monkeys and squirrel monkeys.

Density of cones and ganglion cells was studied in horizontal sections of retina in the rhesus monkey (Macaca, mulatta) and the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). The lower angular density of cones in the fovea of Saimiri correlates with its visual acuity, which is poorer than that of Macaca (0.74 and 0.65 min of arc respectively). Cone density falls more steeply with angular eccentricity from the fovea in Saimiri, in accordance with its relatively poorer peripheral acuity. Comparable results were obtained with retinal ganglion cells, but the comparisons at the fovea itself are more difficult because of the lateral displacement of these elements in the foveal region. The cortical magnification of the visual field (that is, the number of mm of cortex per degree of visual field) is lower for both the foveal and parafoveal representations at the striate cortex in Saimiri. This was correlated with its poorer foveal and parafoveal acuity. It was shown that with increasing eccentricity from the fovea, the fall in the magnification of the visual field at the striate cortex is approximately proportional to the decrease in ganglion cell density at the retina. The results of this study, in which acuity and topography of the visual system are compared in two species of monkey, are consistent with the view that both retinal topography, and the cortical magnification of the visual field, are closely related to visual acuity.

Sur l'emploi en optique physiologique des grandeurs scotopiques

(1) The numerical photometric relation between the photopic photometric system and the scotopic one is established, both systems being based on the radiation distribution recommended by the C.I.E. (2) The number of quanta of 507 nm wavelength per second and square degree of visual field corresponding to one scotopic troland is derived. (3) This procedure is generalised for any pupil section and any square shaped visual field of limited size, as well as for any luminance and, by introducing the notion of equivalent quanta of 507 nm wavelength, for any radiation distribution.