IDENTIFICATION OF CONE MECHANISMS IN MONKEY GANGLION CELLS

1. Blue, green, and red sensitive cone mechanisms have been studied in two types of on‐centre ganglion cells in the Rhesus monkey's retina. 2. One type of cell receives signals from both green and red sensitive cone mechanisms, both of which excite in the centre and inhibit in the periphery of the cell's receptive field. These cells discharge transiently to maintained stimuli of any wave‐length and are called phasic. 3. The second type of cell receives excitatory signals from only one cone mechanism, either blue, green or red sensitive, in the centre, and inhibition from another cone mechanism in the periphery of its receptive field. These cells discharge continuously to maintained stimuli of appropriate wave‐length and are called tonic. 4. Tonic cells outnumber phasic cells although both are found adjacent to one another throughout the retina. Phasic cells are relatively more common toward the periphery and tonic cells relatively more common toward the fovea. © 1968 The Physiological Society