Abstract
THE retinal elements in the cat's eye1, as isolated by the micro-electrode technique, are, like those of the frog's eye2, of three types : pure on-elements discharging merely to on set of illumination, pure off-elements inhibited by light and discharging merely to cessation of illumination, and on-off-elements combining the two properties. If a polarizing current of some 0.7–1.0 mA. is passed through the retina between electrodes stuck in vertically into the nasal and temporal cavities outside the bulb, it is possible to elicit on- and off-effects also by polarization3. In such experiments it is necessary always to place the micro-electrode in the same part of the retina, so as to preserve a constant relation to thepolarizing source. Threshold responses to polarization can be measured with an accuracy of 5 per cent. In the following description of the polarities of the retinal elements, the terms cathodal and anodal refer to threshold responses at the nasal polarizing electrode.
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References
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GERNANDT, B., GRANIT, R. Inhibition and the Polarity of the Retinal Elements. Nature 159, 806 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159806a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159806a0
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