HIGH-INTENSITY EFFECTS ON SLOW POTENTIALS AND GANGLION CELL ACTIVITY IN AREA CENTRALIS OF CAT RETINA

The local electroretinogram (LERG), the late receptor potential (late RP), S-potentials, and the activity of ganglion cells were recorded with microelectrodes from the area centralis of cat retina in order to study the effects of high-intensity flashes. At relatively high intensities both the d.c. component of the LERG and the late RP increased in duration and their rates of decay were slowed. S-potentials showed similar effects. Ganglion cells exhibited an increase in on-response duration, which was accompanied by a weakening of the off-response. Intracellular recordings from the ganglion cell layer showed that at high intensities the steady-state post-synaptic potential persisted into the off-period as the rate of repolarization was slowed. © 1969.